round two

My mom's second surgery was today. It was a long day, but she seems to be doing pretty well. Lymph nodes were removed first and sent to pathology. The reports came back normal, so they were able to complete the surgery and the doctor was pleased with how everything went. The pathology reports we will get next week will tell us if chemo or radiation are necessary. We are certainly hoping for the best. Since I had to be in Provo today, I tried hard to stay busy. I had a pretty incredible experience when taking a test for my Book of Mormon class. I felt really good about the whole test, except for one question: "What are 4 lessons we can learn from Alma 31 and apply to our lives. Be specific and use examples in context."Sorry. I don't have a summary of every chapter in the Book of Mormon memorized. I skipped the question and finished the rest of the test, hoping something would come to me. Every other question was answered, but still I had no idea what to write. After a few minutes, I decided just to start writing generic principles found all over the Book of Mormon. Halfway through, I crossed everything out and started over. My brain didn't know what to write, but my hand sure did. I turned in my test and pulled out my phone. Sure enough, I had written exactly what is found in Alma 31.

 

ice ice baby

First things first. If, unlike me, your Facebook news feed was not plastered with videos of students skating to class, go watch some Youtube videos. Seriously. Just go search "BYU students skate to class." Right now. Then come back. I have been cursing the snow lately, but I don't think I've ever wished for snow more than I did today. Here's the deal. It rained. Usually the rain melts the snow and I am one very happy girl. Today it froze upon hitting the snow, turning all sidewalks and driveways into ice skating rinks. I literally skated all the way across campus to my first class. When I got there, I got an email from the university. Surely they were canceling classes because they care for the safety of their students. Nope. "Please use caution due to the slippery conditions today." In my next class, I got another email. I thought they had to be canceling for sure. There had already been so many injuries. "We encourage teachers to be accommodating today." I slipped and skated to all my classes that day, and managed not to fall even once. Others were not so lucky. There were so many broken bones on campus. Someone split their face open and someone else broke their back and tailbone upon walking out of their apartment. There were something like 88 wrecks in Salt Lake this morning. By the way, my teachers were so not accommodating. Unannounced homework and a really sucky pop quiz. Just in case you were wondering.

You could say I was less than pleased to see this after I survived 5 classes.

Good thing I had these babies today.

somewhere under the rainbow

I was assigned to give a talk about General Conference today. I read all of the talks again, looking for my favorite. I probably shouldn't, but I have a favorite apostle. His name is Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I found that reading all the talks in his accent made each talk seem special, even the ones that didn't seem to apply to me before. President Uchtdorf's talk from the priesthood session really stuck out to me. He was speaking specifically about the priesthood, but his words apply to so much more. He talked about how knowing the reasons behind the priesthood makes living worthily easier. I think having a 'why' makes anything easier. When you have a reason, it is easier to overcome obstacles. Next he talked about an overabundance of good things to do. Just because something is good, it does not necessarily warrant our time. I have found this to be so true, especially this year. Something may be good, but there is often something better to do with my time. Next he spoke about the power of doing. Whenever I am confused about what I should be doing, the answer always comes after I start doing something. Once started, I either feel an assurance that I am doing the right thing, or I feel prompted to change what I'm doing. Choosing a college has proven to be a situation where I have needed to act before receiving an answer. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to go to BYU. I love the atmosphere and they offer a program that combines graphic design with advertising. I was offered a double-full-ride to UVU. Suddenly I wasn't so sure BYU was worth it. I considered finishing my generals at UVU and transferring, but that doesn't make sense because I only have one general credit to complete. I have prayed a lot throughout the decision process, but I still wasn't sure. I know I am supposed to go to BYU. I have no idea how I'm going to pay for it, but it will all work out. My decision was confirmed when I went to Provo today. There was the biggest rainbow I have ever seen directly above the BYU campus and I had the strongest feeling that I need to go there. I still don't know how the financial logistics will work out, but I'm confident it will all work out.