New Experiences and Knowledge

Okay, I know that college is about learning new things, but it isn't all about school work! I've learned a variety of new things from the best places and techniques to explore, cooking methods that I never learned at home, last night one of my friends was teaching me how to play the guitar, I've learned how to slip on ice and break a leg, how to smile through trials and find the best in every situation, and so much more. This last one was probably the most valuable lesson that I have learned, outside of school of course. After I broke my leg, I tried to look on the bright side of things, such as: This boot has some sweet traction! Bet I won't slip again!! Thankfully I haven't. I've learned to serve others, and I've also learned that I clean when I am stressed, or I am trying to procrastinate something.  And I mean I deep clean something. It usually takes place in either my room or the kitchen, but it can extend to the bathrooms and living room as well.
Another thing I have learned to do is prioritize. At the beginning of this semester, that was REALLY hard for me to do. I would rather hang out with my friends and be out doing something than being cooped up in my apartment or the library doing homework. I eventually came to understand that if I finished all of my homework, then I could reward myself with doing something fun like playing at The Craze on the playstructure with Jenn, or watching a movie and relaxing, or anything else fun.
Throughout this semester, I have also come to a greater appreciation for everything that I have to be thankful for. I have an awesome family with parents who support me, two awesome brothers whom I love, and the best roommates in the world. I am also so incredibly blessed to come to school here at BYU-Idaho. This is the best experience I have ever had, and there is a feeling here you just can't get anywhere else. People refer to it as the bubble, and if that's the case, I never want to leave! It is amazing to be surrounded by people with my same standards who share my beliefs and genuinely care about the people around them. I had a complete stranger stop me a couple weeks ago and ask about my leg. She asked if I was going to be okay, whether it was going to heal properly, and then she asked if she could give me a hug. Only at BYU-Idaho. It completely made my day, which until then, had been less than ideal. It was absolutely amazing.
I have the best roommate that I could ever ask for, too. She's become like a sister to me, and I'm going to be REALLY sad when she graduates and I'm still here. This means I'll need to find a new roommate... hmmm maybe an eternal one? haha, just kidding, Mom. I know, I'm only 18. And that's just entirely too young!  I can hear it now :) But Jenn is the best. She was gone last week, and that made me appreciate her even more! She's always there when I need to talk, and I think my favorite conversations of ours occur when we're laying in bed after we decided to go to sleep, and we just keep talking! It's happened more than once. Sometimes, we even make breakfast together. We woke up early one morning and made Monte Cristos and had a bunch of fruit before class. It was absolutely wonderful.
I have so much to be grateful for, and sometimes I get a little discouraged and it seems like the entire world is against me succeeding, but I have numerous reminders around me about how blessed I really am!

The delicious breakfast of Monte Cristos and fruit that Jenn and I made

My Awesome roommate Jenn. Apparently she loves me enough to spell it out with beads!

My Guitar Lenora. Hopefully with the assistance of people around me, such as 2 of my roommates and Lizzy from apartment 15, I will be able to actually play a song by the time I go home

 This is from when Jenn and I went to The Craze and played on the playstructure there. After 9:00, kids of any age can play on it, and we had it all to ourselves on a saturday night!

Our wristbands from The Craze.