Mid-morning Thoughts

I'm graduating in April and previously assumed that my last semester would be rather light and smooth. WRONG!!! I registered Monday morning and to my utter dismay my schedule will be worse than any other semester. Ugh. Plus, I'll be married and supposedly being a newlywed is very distracting. I also met with Dr. Miller this morning about his research project. I've now been asked to write a research paper and present on my topic at the MFHD/MFT conference this coming Spring.

So, now all I have to worry about is surviving this semester's workload, plan a wedding, attempt to actually be social with my roommates...and pick a topic for that paper. Unfortunately, I'd rather spend all my free time with Superman. Guess things are just destined to always be busy.

I'm so looking forward to being able to come home to only one person (that I care for immensely) rather than three other girls with emotional highs and lows. And FHE next semester will be WAY less of a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, I love my calling...I just get tired of checking up on every FHE group and making sure everyone in the ward feels included. That's a LOT of people to keep track of...although I suppose being a bishop or mission president would be worse. :)

It's not as though I don't know that life will always be "demanding", but I'd like to feel as though there was a possibility of taking a break. As I've learned in my Adult Development class, retirement is not a picnic...but at least you can pick and choose your activities!

Last night I didn't fall asleep until 3am and then got up around 7:30am. I don't feel in the least tired. I'm sure it will catch up to me. It was worth it though, I had a lot to think about and finally had some quiet time to myself to think and work things out.

I definitely need to get better about that whole journal writing thing. I haven't been consistent with the writing down of my true feelings, thoughts, and impressions. My little brother wrote his weekly e-mail and berated me for merely sending him facts and details. He seems to think I ought to have more to say about things...especially in the way of feelings.

I read SO much in the Book of Mormon earlier this week. I was on a roll...and now the lack of motivation to do anything has extended to my scripture study. I know that now more than I ever I need to spend time honestly studying the gospel. Plus, Superman and I are teaching Marriage and Family Relations on Sunday. Which means I need to spend some productive time with the scriptures to be prepared to share what I have learned about forgiveness as it relates to marital and family relationships.

The Taters

I almost forgot! This last Monday was the ward FHE/Halloween party. Steve and I created these rather silly looking Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head costumes. Good thing we get to wear them again on Monday! It's only worth it to create a costume if you get the chance to wear it more than once...or you could just wear it anyway...
Steve did a LOT of work on these silly-looking taters...nicely done, Superman!

The Fog is Lifted?

Yeah...not so sure about that. Looks like I may be in the fog until next semester. However, it's no longer medication-induced, just regular school stress. Thanks to Prof. Olivier, I don't have to have my Toolbox and paper done tonight. I have until Monday! Which is nice because I have some things I need to get done for Dr. Miller before 11am tomorrow. And then I'll have more of a chance to work on my 451 paper and Toolbox. Although, there is that game on Saturday...that could prove to be a distraction...should I actually go! Sigh. Absolutely NO motivation to do my work tonight. Wish I had time to go to French Club tonight. Dr. Unlandt is giving a lecture on Medieval torture. Perfect cultural activity for Halloween!

Foggy Thoughts

I've been living in a bit of a fog the last few days. I know for a fact that I attended all my classes and took notes, however I haven't any clue as to what we talked about or if I even paid attention. Although, I suppose I had to have paid enough attention to take somewhat understandable notes. I've had this rotten cold far too long...and the NyQuil/DayQuil is beginning to get to me. My home teacher came over last night to visit my roommate and had the most enlightening comment concerning Nyquil: It's like alcohol for Mormons...you get the "buzz", but not the hangover. Hmm...guess this is what being "under the influence" is all about. Not good for taking tests and being aware and prepared in Mme. Thompson's class.

I seem to have gotten by okay so far...only two more days left this week! And Friday there's only one class!!!! It's nice to have Portuguese over with for the semester. Although, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. But, not having class everyday at 8am is even better. It's the little things in life (extra sleep) that count the most. Not that big things count for very little...

I ought to be studying for that Psychology test...but it's not until tomorrow morning and I have no motivation to study at the moment. Although, I have all kinds of terms and concepts running through my head, so it's almost like I'm rehearsing the material, right? Yeah, I thought not.

I managed to organize my week and have just realized I left out that bridal shower. But, I don't feel like going anyway, so I guess I'm organized. Is it bad not to attend a bridal shower for an old roommate that I talk to once a week at church (and only then because she's nosy and teaches the Sunday school class for engaged couples)? Good. Thanks for letting me off the hook. :)

Hayley tried to call my from Italy on Monday...unfortunately I was in class and didn't get her message until it was nearly midnight her time. Guess I'll wait until the weeked to call her back. I hope she's getting along with the new landlord...apparently the landlord of their old apartment wasn't too excited to have them living there. Translation: they never got their mail. What would some old Italian woman have against a few girls from BYU? Maybe she had a bad experience with some rule-breaking BYU students or missionaries in the past.

Alvaro took nearly 100 photos of Steve and I on Saturday. That was probably the highlight of the weekend. It wasn't as horrible and boring as I thought it was going to be! And some of them actually came out well. Although our favorite is the one where I'm not paying attention and Steve's sticking his tongue out. Very flattering. ;)

Steve's little pre-game Brazilian party sort of flopped. I felt bad...but at least his old roommates showed up. Not sure what happened to the rest of those that were invited and promised to be there. I suppose we'll be eating feijoada for the next few days.

I'm listening to a few of Vanessa Paradis' new songs. I must admit I like the English songs better. Which is odd because I generally listen to French artists for their French lyrics. Celine Dion is certainly better in French, as are most of the French rap artists. I suppose Celine Dion is better in French merely because the corny lines don't translate well; meaning the images in French aren't as strange as their English counterparts.

Meaning of My Life

Is productivity really a measure of the meaning I've found in my life? Because if that's the case, I haven't found much today. I had Portuguese at 8am and then the research team meeting was cancelled, my Aging/Adult Development class was cancelled, and my Psych class was cancelled. Which means I spent most of the day working on trivial homework assignments, watching a strange movie that I should have watched with a film major, etc. Kim came home from work early and motivated me to get my laundry done a day early. After that I actually had the spark to get down to the Provo City Library and check out a couple books relating to some things we've been talking about in my critical theory class. Reading outside the syllabus?! What's that all about? Who knows. I may have actually begun to manage my time more wisely. I suppose I feel good about getting homework done and actually learning new things. That's a good use of my time. Spending time with Steve is definitely a good thing. Too bad he's just as busy as I am! I don't feel like I'm doing much good outside my own little life. Probably has something to do with the fact that I no longer have roommates with problems. It's nice, but I'm not always sure how to "bond" with people who don't need to talk to me about their life problems. Good thing I still have other friends. :) In other news...my roommate from LSH told me she's 5 months pregnant. And another friend (French major) received her mission call to Brussels Belgium. Somehow time moves along without me noticing. It's almost the end of first block and I feel like it all just started. I'm really losing any sense of urgeny. That's bad! There's a wedding to plan, a degree to finish, pre-requisites to ace, etc. Wish I had an e-mail from my brother...

Wedding Plans...

Let me just say that I'm very glad my mother is so excited about all the wedding details...because I'm not! :) I'm just not one of those girls that had these things planned out by the time they were Beehives. I'm excited to be married, but not about the actual reception details. The conversations are okay, but the decision parts are difficult. I don't have that mental image of the perfect reception to pull from...I actually have to have an opinion on the spot! So, today I will look through all the invitations that my sister and Mom picked out and try to decide which is best...although at least 6 of them look exactly the same...subtle differences, I'm sure. Too bad my sister isn't here to explain it all to me...we call her the Cruise Director in our family...because she LOVES to plan things. Lucky me! :)

The HBLL and All It's Glory

I've been good today. I went to all my classes, paid attention, took notes, jumped and danced with energy, etc. I also cleaned for cleaning checks...and even managed to clean all of my roommate's assigned kitchen areas as well. I went to FHE and contributed. I did a few things for my calling. I even checked up on my sick roommate. And now I'm in the library not studying. :) Well, I did my Portuguese homework. There's a REALLY LOUD girl on the phone in the stacks. I feel like telling her (not so gently) that the lobby/area by the elevators and stairs might be a less annoying place to have her somewhat private conversation. I really didn't care to know anything she's so graciously shared with everyone here on the 2nd floor. Oh well. That's not a great excuse for ignoring my work...guess I ought to get back to it. I have a quiz in French 456 tomorrow. That requires me to actually finish the reading and understand it. Oh, and don't forget about all that lecture material that didn't make any sense. Sigh. One of these days I won't have to dread French class...oh wait...this is the last one. Bittersweet, I suppose. Too bad Steve has so much reading to get done tonight. I'm not in the mood to sit here in the HBLL and stare at the mostly empty stacks. Maybe I ought to go out and raid a few used bookstores in order to fill these stacks. That would be a most interesting project. Not that I have any money to buy books...besides textbooks that is. Speaking of, there are still a couple I haven't bothered to pick up. Hehe. Okay. Back to work. Seriously! That includes everyone who is reading this and ignoring their work as well.