Lessons in the life of a BYU freshman

One of the things I love about college is that it pushes me, often beyond the limits I thought I had. Just when you think you've had the hands-down, 100% hardest week/day/just single afternoon of the semester here, another one follows close behind to prove you wrong. When I first came to BYU, I hated it. I mean I've always loved challenging myself (I climbed a mountain last summer for heaven's sake), but I sure as heck didn't like being pushed so hard every day. I'm definitely more of a "go with the flow" kind of person who likes to just chill in their comfort zone for the majority of the time. But I'm seeing that that's changed over the past 6 months. I feel like I'm mentally tougher than I was before; when a challenge comes up in my path, I wanna tackle it! Show it who's boss instead of sidestepping it like before. And I'm having to do plenty of that tackling business; usually on the daily. I'm thinkin I should just try out for the rugby team. At the beginning of fall semester I just wanted to go home or transfer to Idaho where the atmosphere is smaller and more personal. But as I payed my second to last payment for my living & dining plan yesterday, I got to thinking - I'm almost done with my first year of college. I've learned so many things about myself by coming here. I see why my prayers were always answered with an impression to stay here. I needed to be stretched beyond what I was comfortable with. I needed to grow.

That being said, the past two weeks have definitely been the hardest of my semester (knock on wood). Midterms just came at a bad time & were pretty rough. One of my best friends is now only reachable by weekly letters. We just passed the halfway mark in the semester, and things are really starting to pick up in my classes. And for the first time ever, I am really truly homesick. But despite all that, as I look back, I can see I learned some pretty important lessons through all the rough times. I wrote an enormous list in my journal, and I've decided to share a handful of 'em on here. 

Life lesson #1: The ipod is an extension of the soul. Not only does it allow Sting and Norah Jones to soothe my stressin' self, but I found a marvelous app that plays all sorts of ambient noises includingggg (drumroll please...) RAIN! Excited Hannah, right here. Pop those earbuds in my head and I'm right back in woods of my good ol' MV with that Washington rain drumming on the roof.

Heaven.

Life lesson #2: Having a roommate who finds the fun in any task is very valuable indeed!

Life lesson #3: Forget about Gossip Girl and The Secret Life; I can't get enough of BYU 

TV's archive of past devotionals and firesides. The perfect boost when I'm in need of some spiritual food. [: 

Life lesson #4: Any lecture instantly becomes amazing when your notes are taken with these bad boys. 

Life lesson #5: It is important to take time outside of school to hone other skills. With Tasha as official FroYo-coning tutor, my 

"pile-de-la-creme" effect has never looked better.  

Life lesson #6: When the going gets tough, sometimes all you can do is pull a face and just keep pushin forward. 

Life lesson #7: The library is... kinda huge. But a certain sense of confidence comes when one successfully learns how to navigate through those five floors & millions of books to check out four of them for her Humanities essay. 

Life lesson #8: Nothing puts a spring in your step (literally) like new running shoes can!

Thank you, Mommy. [:

Life lesson #9: Up at 7am to run, eat a square breakfast, shower and do a half hour of scripture study before class is the best way to start the day, no questions asked. The difference that daily scripture study makes in my life is indescribable. I may be turning into a morning person just because I enjoy my running route and morning routine so much. 

Weird.

Life lesson #10: We miss Brandon Davies. But, Jimmer is superhuman. That is all.

Life lesson #11: L. Tom Perry is the man. He came and spoke to us on Sunday evening and all I can say is... that felt good. [:

Life lesson #12: You'd think after three years on my high school cross-country team I'd remember how important it is keep the toenails trimmed when you're running every day. Yeahh about that... Ow.

Life lesson #13: Missionary mail is my favorite. Hearing about the amazing experiences my friends have as they do the Lord's work all over the world is so inspiring to me, and never fails to put a smile on my face.

Life lesson #14: Subway has joined forces with Satan. Check out that strategy.

Life lesson #15: Having a long-term somethin to look forward to is quite the incentive. My best girlie comes to visit me in... FIVE DAYS. 

[: [: [: 

Life lesson #16: This is easily one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received. I have it right above my bed and, along with the pictures of my family & friends I've got on my walls, it's the perfect thing to look to when I need a reminder of what's really important, and that I've got people who love me & are rootin for me.

Life lesson #17: Something about hot soup just makes life slowww down for a minute. I'm talking bliss in a styrofoam cup, ladies and gentlemen. Don't get me wrong, the Cannon feeds us well, but I still keep a precious stockpile of one cup just for that one day where hot chicken broth and noodles are very needed.

Life lesson #18: Forget diamonds. A planner is a girl's best friend. Especially a girl as scatterbrained as this one.

Life lesson #19: Any challenge becomes conquerable when you face it with um... a smile. [:

Life lesson #20: Roasting marshmallows on the (blinding) bell tower lights does actually work. I went on a date Friday night and after seeing Tangled in the dollar theater (still my favorite movie; it's even better the second time), we enjoyed an evening of smores & marshmallow volleyball. So worth the fact that we couldn't see anything but colorful spots in front of us on the walk back home. [:

And then last but not least... I get to be with my family in 38 DAYS.

Of course those aren't the only things I learned here, but the rest of the list doesn't need to

be shown to the world haha. One thing I know for certain; life is tough sometimes, but it also is good.

Very, very good. [: Always.

Sometimes my mind has to... give me a piece of my mind.

Some people take life way too seriously.

Including myself, I think. No, I know.

Of course some people really deserve to take themselves that seriously but honestly, me? No.

I dunno. Sometimes I feel like I need to mentally lighten up a bit. Ya know?

There'll be times where my conscience goes, Hey down there. You're getting way too wrapped up in yourself.

Too wrapped up in what you need to do, what you need to be, what you need to not be. 

You're just a person. Granted, a cool person. But a person just the same. Just like anybody else here. 

What's that? Oh, you didn't know? Yes, there are other people here. Expand your point of view for just a sec. Noticed 'em lately?
Gave any thought to that little fact? Uh huh. Thought so. It's really not that hard. You should try it sometime.  

Did it ever occur to you that there's more to life than school? Than getting things done?

Ever heard of stopping to smell the roses? "Joy is in the journey?" Any of this ringin a bell?

Slow down. Remember what's important & just do your best. Lighten up & live in the moment once in awhile. 

It's not the end of the world if things don't go perfectly. Pete's sake, lady. Being here is a gift. 

It's really that simple.

Duh. Thank you, conscience. I'm glad we're together.

Regarding the parentals

I love long phone calls & I love my mom and daddy.
Put those all together and you have a happy girl right here.

 Fairly sure I have the best pair of parents ever. All this week I've been missing people, experiencing my first-ever infection of real homesickness, feeling academically overwhelmed and just having a rough time in general and the cure was right there in front of my face. I love these two people so much and I really, truly take them for granted too often. I owe them so much and am so thankful for them. A goal: call my parents more.

That is all.

Changed for good

"I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them, and we help them in return. And who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

       I know, corny right? But I'm in love with musicals, be it Broadway or high school shows, and I fell in love with this song the moment I heard the Wicked soundtrack. And it applies here. I've been thinking about this day for a long time. Nothing I could really say would sum up the effect this boy has had on me and the part he's played in my life. When I first met my Davie Jay the first week of junior year in high school, I had no that anything special would happen. But it did. He became the first guy I seriously dated. He knew who I was, who I wasn't, and who I wanted to be. I learned so much from all the time spent with him; emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. And thanks to him I have some of the best memories in my life to date. So this is to one of the sweetest, funniest, most thoughtful guys on the planet, one of my most precious friends, who tomorrow goes into the MTC before serving in Brazil for the next two years. I'm kind of a mess. But I am also so, so unbelievably excited for him to go serve the people of Recife and share with them the peace & happiness that the gospel brings into our lives. I absolutely love this guy & I'm positive that he will be one of the most dedicated missionaries Brazil has seen. I've seen proof of his inspiring testimony and incredible capacity to love & accept people during every moment that I've spent with him. I definitely look forward to hearing about his experience via cyberspace and snail mail, but holy crud I am gonna miss my best friend during these next two years.

Good luck, Elder Batschi. Because I know you, I have definitely been changed for good.

Temple + family + three day weekend = happy Hannah

Whoever invented the 3-day weekend really should get a Nobel prize.  I had such. a stressful. week. before this perfectly-timed long weekend.  I'm starting to think my professors really get a kick out of planning all their major assignments to fall within the same weeks during the semester.  How rude of them.  After class on Friday, nothing sounded better to me than spending three days with my amazing Vegas fam.  Yep, it was down to Sin City for President's Day weekend and my oh my it was soooo relaxing.  Perfect in every way.  The main event was my cousin Danica receiving her temple endowment; so exciting!!  I think it was just last week that we were kids playing Barbies down in my grandparents' basement.  And now she's all garment-afied and whatnot.  My gosh.  She is just the greatest example to me and I was so happy to be with her and the family on that amazing day!

This is Sarah.
Yep. She's a keeper [:

       Sarah, my cousin Nate's fiancé, and I did baptisms while everyone else went through the temple with Dani.  I have to say we both were pretty jealous, but baptisms are always just grand.  Being hit on by the extremely cute conformation & baptizing guys didn't hurt either haha.  But shhh.  No flirting in the temple! [:

But all joking aside, being in the temple was the perfect remedy for a frazzled college student like me.  Nothing is more peaceful and assuring than the Spirit I feel there.  It was just plain wonderful.  Sarah and I finished about two hours before Dani's session got out, so we walked around the grounds and talked about how CRAZY it was that she would be walking out of those same doors, sealed for time and all eternity in just over two months.  I love her and can't wait for her to be a part of our family! It was so peaceful walking the grounds and taking pictures. The Las Vegas temple is absolutely beautiful, especially against the blue Nevada sky we got that day. A pretty easy subject, I have to say!

After Dani's endowment

   

Just look at those lovebirds [:

       The purpose of the rest of the weekend was to just relax and I had no problem with that whatsoever.  We went hot tubbing at the insanely fancy JW Marriott hotel downtown, vegged out on the sofa, me with my Humanities textbook and Sarah and Dani with bridal magazines (I gladly swapped my textbook for a magazine on more than one occasion; what girl wouldn't take the opportunity to drool over those divine wedding dresses and reception plans?!), ate some amazingly delicious home-cooking, stayed up late playing Word On The Street and busted our lungs laughing as we tried to think fast and spell even faster at one o'clock in the morning (It has been decided by us that 'vertical' is clearly an appropriate answer for "A word one would use when giving directions to someone;" I'm most definitely going to incorporate that into my reply next time someone asks me for directions on campus [: ), and just soaked up that family-ness!

 Check out my auto-detailing skills.

       My Grandma and Grandpa Conger had driven down from Seattle for the weekend as well, and I had such a fun time catching up with them.  Along with school, school, and more school, we actually got onto the topic of family history and I found out some pretty amazing things about my ancestors.  And I have decided I need to take road trip to Rexburg! I've always known about the John W. Hart building on BYU Idaho campus being named after my great-great-grandfather, but I never knew that he actually was part of the education board that saved Ricks College from going under during the Great Depression by proposing that students who couldn't pay tuition could work off the payments by doing service and housework for the staff, and that he was also the president of the Rigby stake for 25 years.

I kinda fell in love with some rich
dude's Lotus Elise at the Marriott.
I was fully prepared to beg if he
 came outside! 

I never knew that my Great Grandpa Gene taught accounting at that school.  I never knew that he and Grandma Katheryn (my middle namesake! [: ) had donated generous amounts of money to the school that would become BYU Idaho and that there's currently a scholarship awarded to multiple students each year in their name.  I never knew that the house my Great Grandma Katheryn lived in still stands in Rigby, and that the house my own grandpa grew up in is still alive and well in Rexburg, too.
       Talking about these people, my family members, who had done such amazing things made me so proud.  Not in a superior kind of way, but in that I am so thankful that they were so unselfish and generous to other people.  It makes me want to be better when I know I have that kind of background.  I'm quite inspired!  Family is such an amazing thing.  This summer I am most definitely road trippin to Idaho to find my family's old stompin grounds over there.
       All too soon the weekend was over and Monday night came around.  Time to head back to real life. After lots of hugs and some last minute pictures, we were on our way to Provo with a gorgeous Nevada sunset behind us.  I took advantage of the five-hour drive to catch up on the studying I put off.  The Iliad?  Piece o' cake.  A big fatty one that weighs ten pounds and puts you to sleep before you can say "Agamemnon." Oy.  But regardless of that, this 3-day weekend was absolutely perfect.  Family, temple, what more could a girl ask for?  Only eight weeks left till summer and the time when I finally get to be with the five people who I miss so so SO MUCH. [: It's gonna blow by in no time!

That was really long. I apologize. It was a good weekend.

A random smidgen of happy

I like studying here. I like the sky. I like BYU.
This past week? Not so enjoyable. But three days of Vegas, family, and
some warm, sunny r&r are all in the near future. Life's good.

That is all. 

Confession. Plus some random lovin.

       Soo ya know how awhile ago I said Friday was my favorite...  Yeah.  I lied.  It's most definitely Sunday.  The reason?  No idea.  Just that feeling.  The Sabbath is the best day of the week because of the way it feels.  Which makes me think... doesn't that mean I could technically make ALL days feel that way?  Sure I could.  But I don't want to.  Then Sunday wouldn't be as special.  Don't get me wrong, of course I'm going to try to incorporate more Sunday-like activities into my week days to get this feeling more often, but the full blown Sunday effect is only reserved for Sunday.  And I like it that way.  I love Sunday.  And church. And singing hymns and taking the sacrament and learning about my Savior and the scriptures.  I love hearing my friends give amazing talks and seeing my guy friends lookin' all sharp as they bless & pass the sacrament so reverently.  I love dressing in my Sunday best and especially love having the chance to play the piano at a time of day that isn't completely ludicrous.  I love sitting and laughing with friends in the Cannon at dinner.  I love it all.  And all these things happen to fall on one day.  Fancy that!
       Subject change.  In Book of Mormon class this past week, our reading assignment included 2nd Nephi 11, the chapter where Nephi writes what things his soul "delighteth" in.  Less archaically speaking - he tells us what makes him happiest.  He mentions how much he loves the words of Isaiah (can't say I agree, but I'm slowly learning how to understand that guy!), the grace and mercy of the Lord, and missionary work.  It's so personal and so beautiful.  I love reading the Book of Mormon - it's so amazing that something written so long ago can still have such an effect today.  The class discussion got me thinking about what my own soul "delights in!"  Soo guess what. Shuhbam. List time, baby.

• My soul delights in music and the peace it brings to me no matter what's on my mind or what happened during the day. 
• My soul delights in running and hiking and climbing and having the blessing of a healthy body!  And in showing my gratitude to Heavenly Father for it by having high standards when it comes to what I put in it and what I wear. 
• My soul most definitely delights in Jimmer. Sorry, I had to...
• My soul delights in reading the Bible and the Book of Mormon and feeling the teachings of God and Jesus Christ give me comfort and strength. 
• My soul delights in friends who each have their own unique personalities and wonderful talents that strengthen me and make me so grateful to know them.
• My soul delights in reading and learning and expanding my mind, my opinions, and perspective.
• My soul mega-delights in mountains.  And the beautiful old trees right outside our window.  And this amazing planet in general.  Times ten. 
• My soul delights in my 5 favorite people in the world - my family, who I know I can be with for eternity because of the amazing plan that God has for us (which I must say my soul also delights in!)
• My soul delights in doodling. Indeed. 
• My soul delights more than I can explain in my brother Jesus Christ and his personal sacrifice and perfect, unconditional love for me.  
• My soul delights in the teeny little personalized tender mercies that I receive every day of my life from a Father in Heaven who knows me better than I know myself. 
• My soul delights in cookie dough.  True statement. 
• My soul delights in the past and present teachers in my life, who have taught me about the world, myself, and the gospel and who have had such an impact on who I am.  I also definitely delight in being a student at this university.  Very much so!
• My soul delights in the sunset outside my window right now.

That's definitely not the end, but I don't want to go overkill with the lovin' and delighting.  The general point is... My little soul and I are pretty darn happy.  It's a good feeling.

Never underestimate the power of a good doodle

Nitrogen cycle? Done. Stress relief? Double done. 

That's what I'm talkin about.

PS I'm particularly proud of that cow. I like him.

A big letter Y and a real sore bum

       Just if anyone was wondering, the trail up Y mountain is... just plain snow. Running up it works alright, but if you're dumb enough you may think about running down it as well.  Please let me dissuade you from doing such a thing.  It may or may not result in you falling/sliding several feet on your rear, which may or may not have happened to me this afternoon.  Also, dress warmer than shorts and a t-shirt, and bring gloves if you don't want to spend an hour after your run trying to get the feeling back into your fingers.

Just a word to the wise. [: Not that I experienced it first-hand or
anything. Of course not. I'm definitely not that stupid.

Yeah that's a lie. But I had a fantastic run today, aside from feeling like a total moron when I biffed it.  I realize I did have it coming - I was having way too much fun running down that mountain.  Sitting is currently very uncomfortable business due to my damaged bum bone.  But check out that scenery.  I'd bust my backside ten times over to get that view again!  Midterms start next week, and I decided I wanted to do something really killer for my workout the weekend before the stress sets in, just to give myself a boost (don't ask me why... it's the cross-country runner mentality.  Running 30 miles a week definitely impacts your sanity) and 1,074 feet of altitude gain over .8 of a mile sounded like just the thing!  And it was grand.  Aside from the results of my lack of caution on the way down.  But who knows, maybe the discomfort of a sore patootie on those hard Testing Center chairs'll motivate me to blow through my exams lightning fast?  This could be a blessing in disguise. 

The current project : drooling over mountains

In my defense: I'm rock-happy. I can't help it. 

And the most recent addition:

Second floor of the JFSB. New favorite place to study? Yup.
I heart them mountains real big.