An Ode to Things

I know that "the most important things in life aren't things," but that doesn't stop me from being grateful for and excited about a few things now and again. Right now those things are:

• Sweatpants.  I love dressing up for work, but starting my day early takes its toll and I'm always glad to be able to come home and effectively put on pajamas. 
• Earplugs. Now I can more easily ignore everyone else's video games and shouting and Lost marathons so that I can get homework and sleeping done.
• Smash Books. It's a nice little way to get my creative juices flowing as I ease back into making things again.
• The car I'll be buying this month--a green 1995 Ford Taurus. (I'll be paying for it this month, but will pick it up in Utah on my way to school this fall.)
• The  the new Heber J. Grant scholarship that will help with my tuition for my last three semesters!
• My books. I have lots and have decided that I'd probably rather re-read my old stuff for the next little while rather than looking for old stuff. I haven't read many of my books since high school (so it doesn't count). 
• Spotify. It saves me so much money and disc space. 
• Gifs. There is seriously one for every situation.





































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C'est ma vie maitenant.

• I started my internship this week. I'm back at City Hall, doing all kinds of exciting filing, typing, and turning unused rooms into storage. (But mostly filing.) Turns out I'm being paid after all, and I can't describe how grateful I am that that is the case. 

• Pottermore. I adore Jo Rowling's wizarding world and the imagination that she put into it. Hurray for getting MORE of it. 

Yep. I'm in Slytherin. I'm okay with it. They have a bad rap because the story was told from the point of view of a Gryffindor, but I'm clever (or I like to think I am) and ambitious. It fits.

• Today I had an encounter that made me want to go home, watch (500) Days of Summer, and cry. Instead I slept until 8pm. Now it's 1:20am. I'm feeling better, but we shall see what kind of adventures I'll have while I get myself to try to sleep again before I get up to be at work at 7:00.

• In the meantime, I'll take a page from Liz's book and tell you what I'd do if I had won $640 million in the recent lottery. 
• Pay off my debts, and then my parents'. 
• Put myself and my brothers through school. They'd be on their own for mission money.
• Get myself a car. Nothing too fancy, though. Probably something like my "first" car. 
• Get myself a nice place in Upland or Claremont with at least one room lined with bookshelves.
• Buy my Pinterest closet. 
• Open and run a charter or private school for girls. 

Life Planning and the Accompanying Stress

image is mine.

When I was a senior in high school, I wasn't too worried about college and the whole process of applying and getting in.  I knew I wanted to go to a church school and just did what it took to go to one. Meanwhile, my friends stressed out, did tons of research, and prepared for the SAT as if their citizenship depended on it.

Now I understand.


If all goes according to plan, I'll graduate from BYU-Idaho in July 2013. That's 16 months away. I want to get my MPA after that--but where? Now I'm doing what my peers did looking for an undergrad program--trying to figure out where I'd like to live and study, where the good programs are, and how much each place would cost. I've also learned that I need to start studying for the GRE three months ago.

But as I've looked around, I've been excited. I know any program will be expensive, but I'm willing to do what it takes to further my education. And I'm still working on where to apply, but here's my short list.

• BYU
• La Verne
• MAYBE Loyola New Orleans. Their MPA program is also a JD program.
• LSU (added post-publishing, thanks to Sister Sant)
• Memphis 
• (If I go east, I have to go South. I'm not sure why.)
• UCI
• Cal State Fullerton

But who knows. Maybe I'll change my mind again and that will open a whole new range of options.

And that's just what's coming up later. What do I even do about the news that my internship, while still happening, will not be paid, and that any job I get while doing my internship will have to be approved by my teacher? And then how do I make time (or pay for) the 10 credits of online classes I'll be taking this summer? 

Now here's the cool part.

Yesterday as I began to process all of this information and worry about it, I opened up my scriptures to where my bookmark would have me read next--the Liberty Jail sections of Doctrine & Covenants. (For those not acquainted with LDS church history or scripture, look here.) Let me tell you, reading those words brought comfort and a reassurance that everything will work out somehow.

And it is going to be fantastic.

Blessings in Disguise--Three Day Weekend Edition

The plan was nearly perfect. I was going to leave late Friday night for the three-day weekend in Utah with the Morgans. While I was there, I was going to visit with long-lost friends Lisa and Virginia. Thursday night I call my ride to confirm when we were leaving and learned that I didn't have a ride anymore. For some reason she thought I wasn't coming and had filled up her car without me. I had made obligations that kept me in Rexburg until 6pm, and no one else was leaving that late. I would have to stay in town for the weekend. I was crushed.

I did what I always do when crisis strikes--called my mom. I wished I had a car of my own so that things like this wouldn't happen. I hate depending on other people to get places. But here's the rub--I'm terrible with money and broke to boot. "I'll save up for a car this summer!" I said. "I'll be so much better with my money!" "Good luck with that," said Mom. But that didn't get me to the Morgans this weekend.

But it wasn't so terrible. I got to sleep in, go shopping (probably a bad idea for the day after my aforementioned resolution), and relax on Saturday. Sunday I got a new calling (Relief Society Meeting Coordinator) and went to the Family History class.
Today I cleaned, did laundry, got tomorrow's homework done, and ran a mile. As I type this I'm avoiding doing my science homework that's due on Wednesday. (I cannot make these numbers work!) I'm ahead of schedule with my homework! When has that ever happened? I also cancelled my beloved subscriptions to Birchbox, Spotify, and Ancestry so that I can stop being poor and maybe someday have something to drive.

(This is my "my roommate just got off a 12-hour shift and I'm trying to get stuff done without waking her up" look. Impressive, right?)

There will be other weekends this semester. It's been too long since I've been to visit the Morgans and I miss them terribly. But in the end, I'm kind of glad that I had this one to be stuck in Idaho and put my life back together a little bit. 

Lessons I Learned (or Re-Learned) This Summer

1. When there's a job to do, get it done. 
2. That said, it's still crucial to eat three meals a day and get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. Even when you think you're too stressed out to do either.
3. Crying is not a sign of weakness.
4. You don't need a whole lot of things. They cost money.
5. Singles wards are going to have their awkward moments. Embrace them--they'll be great stories to tell later.
6. Handle situations like a mature adult. 
7. Living alone isn't that great.
8. Daydreaming about the impossible is fine as long as you can understand and accept the impossibility.
9. The Atonement isn't just for sins, but for sickness, sorrow, and pain.
10. For the love of all that's holy, wear sunscreen.

Thank Goodness for the First Amendment.

Hey there, Federal Government.

Do you have a problem with my being born?

I think you do. I've had the same birthday for the past 18.5 years. It says so on my passport. It says so on the birth certificate that you never sent back to me when I got my passport.

What the heck kind of birthday do you think I have if I can't file my taxes with it?

You're lucky my political ambitions pretty much end in Sacramento.