Classes With Class

I LOVE my classes! I mean, we haven't done much as we have only met once in each class, but I can tell that this is going to be an awesome semester.

On M/W/F:
-Bio 100: So this is for my general ed requirement (why BYU makes us take three science classes, I don't know) and I am probably looking forward to this one the least. The teacher is really nice though and I think that it will be relatively easy. She understands that this is a gen ed class and most of the students don't know/care about biology.
-Brit Lit History 2: So let's just look at the reading list for a moment. Persuastion, Hard Times, Mrs. Dalloway and selected other readings from our Norton. The class covers Brit lit from 1789-now. The professor is amazing.
-Shakespeare: My professor is exactly what I imagined her to be. She is strict (one of those "most people come out of my class with a C" teachers) but I have a feeling that I am going to come out of that class so well prepared for the world. We are reading Much Ado, Hamlet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest. I've read all but the last two, but I don't mind at all doing those first three. Much Ado is my favorite.

T/Th:
-New Testament: I have yet to have a religion class at BYU that didn't blow my mind and this one will be no exception. Just his intro lecture was amazing.
-Writing Literary Criticism: This one is going to be a pain because it is so much writing, but again, I am going to learn so much. The professor came in wearing a bright yellow suit jacket and a sunflower tie. He is hilarious.
-Brit Lit History 1: This one is everything before 1789. Again, awesome professor. He is really into getting the students to go off on self-learning experiences and explore outside the box.

In conclusion, amazing teachers, amazing subjects, amazing semester.

New Dorm

I was informed that my mom wanted pictures of my dorm, and I thought I'd share with everyone :)

My bedroom. It's small, but I think I actually have the same amount of room to myself as I did last year. Also, it's all MINE! Love that!



The bathroom. The equivalent to two full bathrooms for four girls...heaven.



Kitchen/living room. Notice the lovely shelves that Ashley and I bought for extra storage. You also may see a box on the floor containing a Kitchen-aid mixer. SCORE!!! Flat screen TV with cable included, roommates provided a DVD player and wii. We are covered.


Allison works at a cupcake/sweet shop and sometimes she leaves us treats.


Speaking of my roommates, so far so good. Allison and Emily are so much fun. I haven't gotten to talk to Whitney much yet, but she is really sweet. Looks like I got lucky again :)

A Year in Review

august 23, 82 posts

Hello again everyone. It has been over a year since my first post on August 23, 2009. I have written 82 posts and I am so amazed when I look over some of the things I have done.

I started blogging as a way to keep the people I left back home updated on my goings on without having to tell everyone individually and as a way to document my life without having to keep a journal. I think it was a success.

Highlights:
-My amazing time at BYU and all the sad times too. I had a lot of trouble last year, but somehow I have gotten over it and now I am super excited to be back. I was saying to Ashley as we drove into town how much of a change it is to be driving into Provo and not be crying after leaving my home. Then there are the fun things I learned in my classes and all the blogs spent as a procrastination means to doing homework.
-My first "real" date. That first date has lead me to meet some amazing people because he has all kinds of family and friends here. Aside from that I learned a lot about just being in a relationship. We took a break over the summer because long distance was not appealing in any way. But then we talked all summer long and came out of it great friends and not just two people who are dating.
-Germany. The most amazing experience I have ever had. Talk about growth and learning, I can't imagine a better way to have spent my summer (no offense to those I left at home). I got to go to the Temple in another country! I got to go to Poland and spend an amazing time with my mother on the study tour.
-I was a big girl and found my apartment all on my own. I wasn't sure I made the right choice to be quite honest, but now that I'm here, I love it!
-I tried something new and did folk dance!

This past year has been amazing and I am so looking forward to more adventures and blogging all about them

Getting Ancy

I am so very much ready to go back to school. I am ready to be back on my own. This is the longest amount of time I have spent at home since last June and it is really starting to kill my soul. No offense to anyone here, I love you all, you are fabulous people, but it is such a change and I am not handling it very well. I'm not exactly the kind of person who needs to be around people all the time.

While I am on the subject, I apologize to those around me for my attitude of recent. I can tell that I have been moody and quiet and no fun. The problem is that the only way I can really see to fix it is by going away again. Hopefully then I will be able to find my center and get back to my happy old self.

Experimentation

So I have had quite a bit of time on my hands lately. This whole no-school/job thing is really getting to me. But not to worry, whilst in Germany, I made a list of things I wanted to do. On this list was figuring out the best whole-wheat bread making techniques and the best dried apple making ways, working on ground school for pilot training, and various and sundry other things (but these three are the focus for today).

Bread making: I really learned how to make bread from scratch from a lady in our church, Sis. Arnell. She had over the teenage girls and taught us how to make bread. Her recipe is really simple: yeast, water, flour, pinch of salt. Then I took to baguette making when I was away at school (which was interesting with no standing mixer or bread machine to help with the kneading). This first batch of whole-wheat bread was not bad at all, but it needs some improvements. For example, some honey added in would had a little bit of sweetness and maybe some sliced nuts for some crunchy. I love fresh bread and plan to only make my own once I get settled back in Provo.

Dried Apples: Well this is happening AS I TYPE! I looked through a bunch of recipes and do you know what I found out? Nobody does this the same way. Some people soke the slices in a lemon juice/water mix, some people slice them 1/4 of an inch and some 1/8. Some people say in the oven at 150 for 10 hours and some say 200 for 2 hours. There was even one chick who makes them in her car on a hot day. You get the picture, lots of different opinions. I took a few and went for it. I will report back later on this endeavor.

Ground School: Well, this is more just because I love having random knowledge and learning about flying seems interesting and my dad can teach me and has all the books so...FREE!!

BALA

So maybe not blog EVERY day August, maybe Blog A Lot August.

Last night, Ashley and I went to O'Brien's Pub in Santa Monica to see my cousin's band perform. They were amazing and boy is he talented on that there guitar. It was quite an experience and luckily we got there before the bouncer showed up cuz then I wouldn't have been able to go (we weren't exactly sure if one had to be 21 to go in, so we just took the chance and went for it).

I went jean shopping today! Finally. I found out that the jeans that I had been wearing were two sizes too big. I also bought my first pair of skinny jeans (I know, it's so time). In my search for skinny jeans, I came across the Jegging. Basically they are exactly the same only the Jegging feels like you are wearing exercise pants, but they look the same.

I also got a haircut, just a trim, but I hate first day/week bangs, they have to grow out and mold to your face before they are comfortable.

PS In case you needed to know, American Eagle is having a sale, buy a pair of jeans, get the second half off. I think Holister is also having a sale, though I didn't buy my pants there, I just walked past the signs.

An Unexpected Letter

We walk in today and start doing the usual, post-trip things. As my mom is going through the mail, she hands me something and says "From Elder O'Connor!?"

Backstory: back in the day, when I was in Kindergarten, my mom and another mom in our ward set up a carpool/playdate situation with another little boy, Ryan. So after school we were usually playing together and we were slightly insane and we were pretty much best friends. But then that summer, they moved to like Santa Clarita or something like that. So we stopped talking. If we had been just a few years older, we might have stayed in touch through the internet, but we were too young.

So I pick it up and think "holy cow! Ryan!!!" I knew he was on his mission and had actually been meaning to write him but I didn't want to deal with buying more postage in Germany, so I didn't and then I kept forgetting when I got home. It was such a pleasant surprise, I didn't expect him to be the first to write, but I'm glad that he did.

BEDA

Like my dear friend Emily, I too will be joining in Blog Every Day August because well why not. It is a good way to get back into the blogging thing. Unfortunatly, I was out of town yesterday and couldn't start on time, so I will simply have to blog TWICE today! Thats right, folks; two for the price of one.

This weekend we went to visit our second family in AZ and it was a lovely visit. It was cloudy most of the time and so it never reached 100 while we were there and that was wonderful. In fact, I spent most of my time freezing cold because they don't have the AC regulation thing down yet. Dear management, just because its 104 outside does not mean you need to overcompensate and make it 64 inside. Love, Laura.

There were two little ones. Carter is the Daniel's baby and he is adorable! I hadn't seen him ever (unless you count when he was in the womb, but I don't count that). He is such a man, not a baby. And then Kaylee is the Clark's 4 year old girl. She is a character and attaches to people so easily. If you ever need some good little kid love, she is your girl.

We got to visit a lot and complain about life's trials and just be together again. I love those people!