Virtual Field Trip

I chose to visit my roommate, Ashly Medlyn's blog, ashmedyln.blogspot.com. It was fun to read her responses and see how our posts differ and compare. I really loved her Homecoming pictures that add a personal touch to page. I also liked her post about President Hinckley and how he was such a hard worker. I believe she used the quote that was something like, "to get warm you have to shovel the coal." I really liked how she pointed out that success and happiness takes hard work. I think I have talked about this is previous posts, but that is a major thing I have learned since I have been at BYU. Sometimes, it seems like even with hard work, success doesn't always come. However, I am trying to work hard and do my best, so hopefully I can be a success at BYU and for the rest of my life. I also liked Ashly's post about resistance. It was similar to mine, I guess in our apartment we have a problem with time management and being productive, I guess "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" take up too much time. I have made it a goal to try to help my roommates and myself be more efficient with our time. I really enjoyed reading her posts.

Resistance

It's hard to pinpoint my biggest resistance since I have been at BYU. I think for me, my biggest problem as been managing my time wisely and not giving into distractions. There are always a thousand other things I would rather do than study or do homework. I knew it would be hard to motivate myself to study and do work without my parents there or structured time to do work. I have been trying to work on this problem though by planning times to study and get things done. Although I am not usually good at doing the things that I have planned, it has been somewhat effective. I think I could more effectively overcome this resistance by trying to eliminate some of my distractions and trying harder to "stick to the plan." I guess it just runs in my family, we are not very planned people, but I am working to change this habit and start being more organized with my time and using it more efficiently.

Halloween

I was a little bit of a party pooper this year for Halloween, I did not really do anything special. I am not a huge Halloween fan as it is. Some of my friends invited me out to watch scary movies at a friend's apartments. I did not really feel like doing that. Instead, I got sucked into the third Twilight book, Eclipse. That is somewhat appropriate as the books are about vampires, right? I read almost the entire book that night. Another somewhat funny experience that night, so I was home alone, right? I get a knock at the door and I open it and on the doormat is a bag with an orange piece of paper and some candy. I take out the paper and it's like a story about someone not locking their windows on the bottom floor and someone crawls in the window. So, I was a little scared the rest of the night too and made sure the door and all of the windows were locked. Why would they do that on Halloween night? I am on the bottom floor, too! Actually, last year's Halloween was a lot more fun. I guess I am feeling "nostalgic" and I will share last year's events. My boyfriend, Clay and I dressed up and went to party at my friend's house. We were "Peace and Quiet." I was a hippie and he was a mime. He was such a good sport about it and let me do his make-up and he even wore suspenders and gloves that were too small. The party was really fun too, we watched 1408. I guess that is a bitter sweet memory as Clay is now on a mission and I miss him a lot.

Work Wisdom

I really enjoyed President's Hinckley's thoughts about work and I realized that I needed to hear these things right now in my life. I have been struggling lately with school. I feel like I study so hard and I work really hard and that my grades are not reflecting it. I am learning that this is not high school anymore and that I cannot do what I did in high school and make "A's" like I did in high school. I have always wanted to work in the medical field, especially as a pediatrician. I was beginning to think that because I was not doing well in my classes that maybe I am not smart enough. Well, I talked to several people about this and they are told me not to give up. They told me to just work harder. That's just what I am going to do. I am not going to give up on my dream. So, for me, the advice that stood out to me from President Hinckley is that work "is the process by which dreams become realities. It is the idle process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements." I really needed to hear that. I can be a doctor or whatever I want to be through hard work. I need to be willing to sacrifice some of my lazy habits to work hard and eventually get into medical school and continue pursuing my dream. I am grateful for his counsel and that I was able to read that. I am going to put that quote on my bulletin board and read it everyday to remind myself to work hard. I can't believe how the first line of the things we had to read related directly to me. It is no coincidence.

I think the greatest lesson I have learned from hard work is that, just as President Hinckley counseled, "there is no end to what you can accomplish." In high school I learned this lesson, and I think I forgot this lesson since I have been at BYU, but I am remembering it now. My junior year I took calculus. I was so scared for this class and I had a really difficult teacher. I had had him before and although I loved him, I always made B's in his class. For calculus, I was determined to make an "A." I worked so hard doing my homework and I studied hard. I had my friend come over and tutor me, and I made an "A." I never thought that I could make an "A'" in calculus and I know that it is because of the hard work and prayers that I made an "A" in that course. So, as I endeavor in more rigorous courses at BYU, I need to remember these noble truths and work hard!

Education in Zion

I really enjoyed the section in the exhibit called "From Academy to University: BYU's Founding Vision and Its Educational Pioneers, 1875-1950." In this section, I found the story of Delbert Brigham Brown to be very interesting. He was a "farm boy" growing up and didn't move to Provo until he was fifty two. I am sure he was not very well educated and he got a job as a custodian at the Smith Fieldhouse. I was impressed by his relationships with the students and his desire to help the students even if he didn't know them. As a custodian, I am sure he did not have a lot of money and he gave ten dollars to a foreign student he had never even met. Growing up, he had never even heard of the Word of Wisdom, but while working for BYU he helped students overcome problems with the Word of Wisdom in a kind and gentle way. There was a letter of gratitude from a student who had worked as a student custodian under Brown and I was touched by the sincerity and true respect the students at BYU had for Delbert Brown. I am sure he was not very well learned, but his wisdom was far beyond some of the most educated people I have known or have even heard of. He passed on wisdom to students by helping them through the problems that they faced and helping them to be better people, not necessarily by increasing their secular knowledge. He makes me want to be a better person and to be more selfless. He makes me want to do more service, so that I can have the legacy that he has. I am grateful to be part of this University that has such Christ-like professors and employees. I am surrounded by people that are good examples to me and this man made me realize that even small things can make a big difference.

Homecoming Week

I went to the Homecoming Devotional, I don't know if it was called a devotional, but it was on Tuesday morning. It was nice and I enjoyed the winning essay that was read there. I also liked seeing the band and the dancers that close and it really got me pumped up for Homecoming week. After the show, we went to the Homecoming Kick-Off Barbeque. There were a lot of people there and we enjoyed some good food. We did not stay long, but we had fun for a little while there. I saw some of my friends and we just hung out and enjoyed the free food, who could complain? Aside from my Tuesday activities I did not really participate in Homecoming this year. I am not huge on football, so I did not get too excited about the game either. I heard that the blue foam football was fun too, but I had to go open a checking account with my mom so I missed it, oh well. There is always next year!

Conference Correction

I loved watching Conference this year and I was impressed by all of the talks and it is hard to pick just one to talk about now. However, I felt like President Monson's talk in the Sunday morning session was the most corrective for me. It was about about change, which seems to fit for me perfectly as many things in my life are changing right now, actually pretty much everything is changing right now. I sometimes tend to look toward the future and look at what is missing in my life. President Monson seemed to be speaking directly to me when he said that we need to make the best out of every day and find joy in the journey. He said that we need to focus on the blessing we have each day. I am so blessed everyday. I am blessed to be at BYU and to have great roommates. I am blessed to have made friends in my ward. I am blessed to get to look at the beautiful mountains everyday that God created for me. I am blessed to have the Gospel in my life and to have the atonement and be able to rely on my Savior to uplift me. These are blessings in my life now and focusing on these great blessings instead of focusing on my daily stresses and on what is missing in my life right now will help me to be the best that I can be, now, not later. I am grateful for this talk and for President Monson. I know he is truly called of God and is inspired by God to share messages that we need to hear. So, I need to stop dwelling on the negative and focus on the positive blessings. He said to take pleasure in small things and express love and gratitude everyday. This is so true, you never know when the end is, so we must always be prepared. 

"Y" the Y

The tour of the Hinckley Center was actually a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I was amazed that the symbolism and attention to detail that went into planning and building it. I loved all of the things that were President Hinckley's and that represented him. I loved the bookshelf and the books donated by his family. Everything was so beautiful and well taken care of, it was very homely and welcoming. Aside from the actual building, I was impressed at how quickly the money for the project was raised and surprised at how many people donated money. I know that this is because of their love for the Church, Brigham Young, and President Hinckley. 

The statement, "Once a cougar, always a cougar," to me means many things. It is about loyalty of course, but more than that. It is about the caliber of people that come to BYU and that leave BYU. I was actually talking to one of my friends who goes to BYU also, and she said that one of her professors once said that BYU was created to train leaders in the Church. Although, for some this could be offensive, but for me, it seems very true. BYU is a unique educational experience in that it encompasses not only secular growth and knowledge, but spiritual growth beyond measure. At BYU, students have the opportunity to learn from professors who have the Spirit of Christ with them and teach with the Holy Ghost, who is the best teacher possible. Most graduates of BYU are of the highest caliber of individuals, they are usually the ones that are called to leadership positions in the Church and the ones that are successful in life. I am not saying you have to go to BYU to be a good Latter-day Saint or to be called to leadership positions in the Church, but I feel that a BYU education prepares one for such tasks. BYU seeks to make its' students well rounded and the best that they can be. So as a student at BYU I anticipate to be exposed to many spiritual experiences that I could not otherwise be exposed to and I also anticipate to be taught by the Spirit more than at any other University. I know that BYU is a unique educational environment and I am grateful to be a part of it.

My BYU Experience Thus Far:

Well, before ever even coming to BYU I heard many horror stories about the rigor and intensity of classes at BYU. So, I was definitely expecting the worst, as far as difficulty of my classes and such. Since I haven't really had any tests yet or received any grades, I still don't really know how hard my classes are and how well I will succeed in each of them. On a lighter note, it has been easier to get around campus than I have anticipated. I was extremely worried about getting lost and not being able to find my way to each of my classes. Actually, it has not been that difficult and I have figured out my way better than I expected. Furthermore, aside from lots of reading assignments, I have not had too many rigorous or too challenging assignments- yet. So, I guess one could say that the classes have not been are hard as I thought they were going to be- this opinion might change after a few failing grades on tests, but as of right now, things seem do-able.

What is actually more difficult than I assumed it would be is managing my time efficiently and actually studying regularly for each of my courses. I am used to having only 4 classes in high school, so 6 college level courses, for me, is a lot to keep up with. It is hard for me to remember all of my assignments and manage my time in such a way that I can complete each of them. It is also hard for me to monitor how well I am doing in each of my classes, as I cannot just ask the teacher or take a quiz and see my results. As I result, I feel kind of "in the dark" as to how I am progressing in each of my classes. In addition, it is hard for me to be self-motivated, which is surprising to me. I used to consider myself a very self-motivated person and often times people have described me as such, but lately- I am feeling very unmotivated. Hopefully, I can improve each of these problems and work on time management. Actually, right now I am using my time wisely to do this instead of surf facebook during my two hour break between classes.

It is hard for me to decide what I would change with my BYU experience thus far, as one I am not too far into the experience and two, it has not been a bad experience at all. However, I guess I would have changed my attitude coming into school. I could have been friendlier to people and reached out more to get to know people- I know it is definitely not too late for that and I am working on that now. Furthermore, I think I could have researched more things before I got here- such as clubs, classes, and majors- so that I could have known more fully what I want to be involved in and what I want to get out of my BYU education. I think I have a better grasp on what I want now than when I got here though, so that too is improving. For the most part, I have loved my experience at BYU and I am happy for the growing experiences that being "on my own" encompasses.

BYU Adventure :)

Sara, Me, and Ashly before we started.

The entrance to the trail up!

Mid-way up the trail

We made it!

After- back to the car before our swimming adventure.

Jumping In :)

AGAIN!

Today I had my first of hopefully many BYU adventures. The group (Ashly, Sara, Dan, and I) headed out this morning around 9:30 or so. Let me just give you a little background, I am from Florida and I am not a very athletic girl- my idea of working out is walking to class. So, for our adventure, we decided to hike up to the "Y." I figured this should be a tradition among BYU students and everyone should experience it at least once, so why not in my first few weeks here at the "Y." Well, the high altitude and my not being in shape, made the hike extra fun. I thought I was going to pass out on the way up there and I kept making the group stop. It was quite funny actually, but I still enjoyed the hike none the less. We took some pretty great pictures along the way and I loved the view from the bottom of the "Y." I was actually surprised to see that it was just painted rocks. I thought it would be a more smooth cement giant letter. The way back down the mountain was much better and I was able to make it down the mountain with no stops to catch my breath. It was really fun.

Little did I know, this hike to the "Y," was not the end of our adventure. While sitting on the classic letter "Y" we noticed a pool at the base of the start of the trail. This pool looked very appealing considering we were hot, sticky, and tired. So, we decided to take the plunge and try to go to the pool. I was driving, so we drove to the apartment complex where the pool was located and we sent Ashly out to check it out. She said it looked good and there was no one watching. So, we hopped the fence (I have a sweet new bruise on my back) and jumped in, jeans and all. The pool was so refreshing and surprisingly warm, which was great for this Florida girl. We took some pretty cool pictures at the pool too and then decided to head out. It was freezing when we left, considering we didn't bring any towels and we found some bubble wrap in my trunk to sit on in the car. The bubble wrap didn't help much from drenching my car, but it did make for some good background noise. On the way to drop off Sara and Dan, we spotted "Jay's Dawgs," which looked very enticing. After we dropped off Sara, we decided we wanted to eat there for lunch to finish off our adventure, so we picked up Scott, Dan's roomie and went back to "Jay's Dawgs" so I could try what also seems to be a BYU tradition. It was quite good. I felt like a homeless person sitting in the grass eating my hot dog while soaking wet with no shoes on. 

Needless to say, we now have many new memories from our adventure. It was tons of fun and I am glad to have taken part in the traditions of BYU.

Bloch Talk

In Carl Heinrich Bloch's painting, Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda, at this stage in my life, I feel like I have the tendency to resemble the woman with the child sometimes, while other times I am the man that Christ is healing. The woman depicted in the painting seems to be carrying on with her life, getting water for her family, not even recognizing the presence of the Savior, let alone the miracle He is performing just feet away from her. Why should she care? She is too content with her life at the moment to realize Christ's infinite powers, because she doesn't need Him desperately at the moment. She seems to be doing nothing wrong. However, she really is in the wrong because she is not progressing, she is not helping others. Sometimes I feel like this woman, I forget to utilize the healing power of the atonement and I fail to recognize Christ's hand in my life. I sometimes feel like I am not progressing, not growing spiritually and not living my life to its' full potential. There is always more I can do- I can serve others and by doing so draw closer to God. When everything is going my way, I tend to forget what is happening around me and not utilize Christ's atonement and endless powers.

However, when something hard comes my way, I am humbled and I become as the man Jesus is healing. For instance, I do not really like change, so coming to college and living on my own, has not been a piece of cake. Right now, I feel like the man, dependent upon my Savior and Redeemer to lift me up and give me the strength to do the things I need to do. The man in the painting is impaired, he is not perfect, he can't be healed alone, he needed the help of the Savior. He had faith that the Savior would come and help him. By the look on his face, I can tell that he is extremely humble and patient and filled with joy at the coming of the Savior. Like this man, I know that I can't doing everything alone and I call upon my Savior to come to my rescue. Although, He does not always come quickly, I have the faith that He will answer my prayers and help me, as He has many times. 

This painting teaches me so much about becoming a disciple-scholar. It teaches me that I can't do it alone, that I must be humble and teachable and allow my Savior to help me through everything. I must not have pride, the man being healed has no pride- he is not embarrassed that he can't do it alone and he is not bitter either, instead he has relied fully on the Savior to help him and heal him of his infirmity. Furthermore, this painting reminds me that I must never forget those around me. There is always something to learn from others and there is always someone I can help. In addition, I must never fail to recognize Christ's presence in my life and should always give Him the glory for my accomplishments and successes.