Thought Process

Here is how my day goes all day every day. I think to myself:

Jerusalem!

Holy Crap I'm taking the GRE....

JERUSALEM!!

i need to study for the GRE. So many vocab words

490 paper- slavery slavery slavery

I'm freaking going to Jerusalem

wow i have so much reading, i don't know how i am going to get all of this done.

i need to find more clothes that are appropriate for Jerusalem

i wonder how Ethan is doing... how can I get closer to him?

i know i'm not worried about the math portion of the GRE, but should I be?

Am I really going to Jerusalem?

I need to call mom/dad/fill in the blank

READ READ READ

I need to figure out car insurance for Jerusalem

I need to write Emma back

Words with friends takes up way too much of my life

The Quran is actually a pretty good book. What if I was Muslim? ;)

There are Muslims in JERUSALEM

I wonder how (fill in the blank) is doing...

I need to write in my Journal

Shoot. I am taking the GRE.

Am I going to get into grad school? What if I don't? What if i DO?

Jerusalem is going to be awesome.

I miss Ethan. I miss Parker. I miss my parents.

How is Parker doing? How can I be a support to him from so far away?

I'll be even farther from him in Jerusalem.

How is it possible to think about Jerusalem THIS much?

Oh shoot, I need to think more about the GRE and less about Jerusalem.

bellicose=hostile, apotheosis=supreme example, anachronistic=out of place, etc.

JERUSALEM

And the cylce just goes on and on and on....

Papa Joe

For some reason or another, I'm really missing this guy lately:

It's not his birthday, or his death anniversary, or anything like that. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I'm in a family history class right now. Or that I'm studying Southern history for my major. I miss Georgia. Particularly Papa- since he was the reason that I would ever visit Georgia. I miss going to his house and having absolutely nothing to do but sit and enjoy each other. I miss not being able to walk past him without getting a long, often overdrawn hug. I miss being told that He loves me and to never forget it! I miss sitting on his swing in the back yard with magnolias, woods, and the next door neighbor's horses. I could go on, but let's just say that I can't wait to see him again!

News

I'm going to Jerusalem! In other words- I got in! I can't believe that it is all really happening. I have been dreaming about going for over 5 years now and it just doesn't seem real. I really really really am excited to go. I found out yesterday, which meant it was just a good day all around. But now today the reality of it has really sunk in. Because I'm going to Jerusalem on January 3rd, this is my last and final semester in Provo. And that is honestly kind of sad to me. As much as I have always talked about leaving Provo as soon as I can (which apparently I'm doing...), I really am going to miss it. And it is a heavy burden to carry, knowing that I only have 4 months to spend with the wonderful friends I have been able to make since I have lived here.

I moved to Provo for the first time in August of 2006. I went home for the summer of 2007, but other than that, I have lived here year round ever since then. It was a rough beginning, but as I got used to the Provo ways, it really has become a great place for friends and fun times. Although Provo definitely has its downsides, there are a lot of positive things that I will miss. Mainly the people that I have met and become so close to. You know who you are!

Now that I'm going to Jerusalem, I have all of these decisions to decide upon that I thought I had longer to make. Things that I was going to be deciding next semester all of the sudden have to be decided this semester. And it all seems very overwhelming. And yet I feel a peace about it all. I know that everything will work out for the best. It always seems to, miraculously.

I am very excited to be moving into the next stage of life, even though it kind of scares to daylights out of me. It feels so similar to the fear of leaving St. Louis to come out here, and yet I feel much more ready and prepared this time. I have learned so much during my years in Provo and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. To those of you reading this and are still in the Provo area- let's make these next 4 months count!!

Yep, I'm a bloggin'

Surprised? You probably forgot I even had a blog. Well I'm here to remind you that I do. Well I can't sleep. It is exactly 1:18 AM at this very moment in time. And I am awake. Obviously. I have never had trouble sleeping in my life. But as of late, falling asleep seems to be quite a problem. Staying asleep is easy, but getting to that point seems to quite the challenge. Perhaps it's because I have so much on my mind? I'm not really sure. The weird thing is, is that I really am very very tired. And my eyelids are burning and screaming at me to please go to sleep. But once I lay down in my bed, these same eyelids refuse to stay closed. So here I am, blogging. This summer has been alright I suppose. June was kind of a drag. I had classes and that was fine and all, but in reality I just wanted to go on a million roadtrips like I did last summer. I did just get back from a month long vacation to my hometown, St. Louis, though. And that was very fantastic actually. While home, the fam and I also went to DC for a little vacation. I have literally been wanting to go to DC since I was in the 2nd grade. I did a little project on our nation's capital, particularly the smithsonian, and have been dying to go there ever since. Well here I am, 16 years later, and finally achieved my goal! And the best part of all is that it didn't disappoint. We were up and going all day every day, but I didn't mind because I wanted to see as much as possible.

So DC and St. Louis were marvelous. Being home for that long really was a pleasure. I was worried that I would be aching to get back to my life in Utah, but I somehow left wanting to stay even longer, which I guess is the way it should be. And now I've only been back for 3 days and I'm feeling bored out of my mind. I just want to be DOING something. And so, as you can imagine, I am ready for school to start. It starts a week from Monday, and I am counting down the days! I will probably be singing a different tune once I see how much reading I have to do this semester. Yikes. But I'm up for the challenge. I think.

As far as other updates go- I applied to go the Jerusalem center, and I should be finding out whether I got in or not in a matter of days. According to the itinerary, I should find out on or around the 19th of August. So 2 days (ish). I'm hoping the ish part might mean I will find out tomorrow. But I guess you just never know.

Well I think that is all for right now. Maybe I will try this whole sleeping thing.... again...

Big Dreamin

This is what occupies my thoughts all of the time right now. It's the BYU Jerusalem Center. I've been wanting to attend the center for over 4 years now and I'm really hoping that my dream will finally come true. I'm applying to go in January!! Pray for me to get in! I want to wake up every morning and look out on the ancient city. And there is a field trip to Tel Aviv! And if things ever clear up, then there is a field trip to Egypt as well. I guess that remains to be seen. Oh Jerusalem...

Oh hey...

Oh hey, it's been a while. I keep thinking that none of the blogs that I follow are blogging very much lately, but then I remember that I'm not either. Probably because not a lot has happened worth blogging about. Here's something of interest for you I suppose- I'm in a dinner group, well actually 2 of them this summer. One on Tuesdays and one on Thursdays. I'm really really glad that I decided to join because it has been quite a good experience. I really do love cooking. And even more than loving to cook, I love to have people eat and enjoy my food. Perhaps its a vanity thing where I really just like to impress people and have them validate how awesome I am, but either way I really do enjoy it. I guess I also like having a reason to cook. It's so much easier to cook for a group than for just myself, plus I have more motivation to do it if I know that people are counting on me. I've cooked twice this summer. The first time I made Indian food- chicken tikka marsala. It was freaking good, I must say. And then this past Tuesday I made Banh mi sandwiches- which are French Vietnamese meatball sandwiches basically. And they were soooo good! Those sandwiches are one of my favorite things that my dad makes, so I figured I would give them a try.

Not only is it fun to cook, but it's also fun to chat and discuss things with people while eating good food. I have 2 awesome groups of people that are a lot of fun and I enjoy spending time with them. Plus they all cook well too! So it's just a win win situation all around. I want to always be in a dinner group now. Even when I'm married with kids, I still think it would be fun to do so. Now I need to be thinking about what I want to cook next.....

P.S. I am acing my French class. Not to brag, but yeah I guess it is to brag. Je suis intelligente!

New Post

Yeah... sorry about that whole not blogging thing. I need to be better. Here's the update for ya- I'm doing spring classes- French and Utah History. I am liking my French class and my Utah history class is a hit or miss. Sometimes I think it's not so bad- other times I find it hard to stay awake during it. I do enjoy the book I am reading for it right now though. It's called "Mormon Mother." It's an autobiography of a mormon mother who was a polygamous wife in the late nineteenth century. The manifesto declaring the end of polygamy came out while she was married. I can't believe some of the things I am learning about polygamy. It's just incredible how much I am learning about the simple logistics of a plural marriage and such. Either way- I would highly recommend it for an interesting read. Other than school, not much else is new in my life. Church and work are both going well. So I guess that's all I have for now- sorry for being so boring, haha. I'll try and be interesting next time.