Jumpin into Spring!

After much stress of moving out, moving in, and getting settled in a new place, things are finally starting to look better. It's been a hard adjustment from living in Heritage, where everywhere you go you have a friend or a neighbor that you can hang out with, to...knowing absolutely no one except your roommates. This has definitely been a challenge for me. The first week just seemed to drag on forever. I began Spring term right by skipping my first class, mostly because it was pouring rain outside and I was too tired to get up. But no worries, I haven't skipped since! I am enjoying only taking 6 credits, Astronomy with Alex and Melissa, and also Floral Design which I'm super excited about. We start making floral arrangements on Thursday! I have to admit that as I began finally unpacking the hundreds of boxes of stuff (ok that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I had a lot), I realized that I have wayyy too much stuff! I got rid of about 2 garbage bags full of stuff and took it to Plato's Closet to see if I could get anything for it. Only $17. 40, but that' better than nothing. Also getting pretty desperate on the money situation, I took all my coins from my froggy bank to coinstar and got 60 bucks! That was exciting! That definitely went in the bank. Leah was so helpful when it came to cleaning and organizing my room...I honestly couldn't have done it without her. But now it is finally clean enough that I can live in there.

Finally Done :)

Now that I can live in my room, I enjoy taking frequent naps after class in my my nice big bed :) I'm not exactly sure why I got the queen size bed, I guess just because it wouldn't fit anywhere else, but I'm definitely not complaining! After about noon, I find myself bored out of my mind because I have no motivation to do homework and I don't have a job yet, so it's not too exciting. I have been looking and applying to jobs though...so no one can say I'm not trying. But I hate applying for jobs and just working in general, another part of growing up. I just miss the old days when I was a child and my mom cooked me breakfast and bought me back to school clothes and I didn't have to pay to live in our house. If only....But I am learning a lot and as much as I hate growing up and living on my own with my own responsibilities, it is preparing me for the future which I guess is a good thing. I am also hoping to write on my blog more often so check back to see if I have any more posts :)

What I've Learned...

As I am nearing the end of my freshmen year of college, I have had time to reflect on the things that I have learned thus far. So here goes...as excited as I was to leave home and start college, that did not mean that I wouldn't miss my family like crazy. Especially my little buddy, my best friend, I miss you! I grew to have a greater appreciation for my mother and all that she does for me, especially after having to cook, clean, and do all my own laundry! I definitely got homesick at different times throughout the year, but I loved getting all my holiday packages! Thanks Mom! I've learned that old friends sort of fade into the background, but new friends are the best, I have grown to be such good friends with my new roommates and I know that they are the friends I will keep for the rest of my life.

I have grown to have such a great appreciation for the Atonement, it is such a great gift that we have and I am so grateful for it! I've learned that no matter how much I think I can control everything and figure it all out, I can't. I have grown so much closer to my Heavenly Father and realized that the power of prayer is real. I acquired a lot of knowledge from my classes and learned that I'm not going to love every class I take, but some of them really are great and very interesting. I love BYU religion classes, the professors are so inspired! I have come to a greater knowledge and understanding of the Book of Mormon reading and studying it this year than I ever did before (Thanks to Bro. Parker).

I've learned what it's like to get your heart broken and to break someone's heart. But I also learned what it's like to be in love and that love is the greatest thing in the world! As much as I hate to do hard things, I've learned that by hard times comes great strength. I have grown to love BYU student wards! It is amazing how a ward can come together for a common cause and make such a difference. Everyone is so supportive and helpful to each other. I have learned to appreciate and really believe in the power of the priesthood and the inspiration of the bishopric. I have learned that if you want a good grade in a class, you actually have to study and read for it...weird. Going along with this, I have not learned anything from taking American Heritage and that the best feeling is being done with that class!

I've learned to be patient, very patient with who I thought were my friends. I have also learned the difference between real friends and fake friends. I have learned that having family so close is such a blessing and that I am grateful for the love that I have received from them. I have learned that bad things happen to good people, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't love them. He just knows that they are strong enough to handle it. I have learned that I have a newfound love for BYU Basketball and that almost every single guy on campus has a man-crush on Jimmer. I have learned that I get so excited for missionaries to get their calls and I am so proud of all the boys I know that are serving/leaving on their missions soon! And I love writing them and getting letters! I have learned that even though BYU is a mostly LDS populated school, that doesn't mean that everyone here is a good person. I have learned that even nerdy boys can be fun, and that the guys who think they're so cool are really just tools.

I have come to learn of the satisfaction of being in the Police Beat 3 times, it's great! I now know how to do laundry, cook my own meals, and how long to put things in the microwave for. I have learned that no matter how hard I try (or not), my room will always look like a tornado just went through it. I have grown to love the sport of hockey and that games are so much fun to go to when you have friends on the team. I have learned how to flirt shamelessly, and that with that comes consequences...therefore I have also learned how to let guys down gently. I have learned that when stuck in provo, getting out is like a prison break, so exhilarating!

I have learned the value of the gospel and having so many around you with the same standards is such a blessings. I have learned how to be more or less independent and have come to realize that, sadly, I am growing up. There are so many more things I could add to this list, but I feel like it's probably long enough. I will miss everyone from my Freshman year so much and I am grateful for all that they have done for me! I look forward to the next few years of my life to see what they bring and what else I will learn!