Our Name Is Fun.

Do you know them? Fun? The band? Well, if not...get on it already!

I was introduced to them while in Mexico and it was a match from day one. Fun and I. Now when I listen to them, the BEST most idyllic summer memories of walking the streets of Tehuacan, Mexico flood my senses. I love it! The lead singer of Fun used to be the lead singer for another of my favorite bands: The Format. Right out of AZ and they, of course, bring back hundreds of the best high school memories (okay, maybe "hundreds" is an exaggeration for the high school days.) But the music is just so original and...(cliche)...fun. The stuff that picks you up and makes you dance. Listen to it. Now!

OR:

OR, my absolute favorite

Isn't that the best song?

When The Medicine Goes Down, But Still Tastes Like Crap.

This is something I've heard a lot. Like, A LOT. And I truly do love it and believe it. But it still isn't easy to swallow. Thanks for sharing this, Mom. (From: Music and the Spoken Word, 1-16-11)

"We don’t always get
what we hope for—and that can be a
good thing. Our desires, even our prayers,
sometimes reveal a limited vision of what
we can become. Often, if we’re patient,
there’s a greater blessing in store for us.
Even our trials and setbacks can be stepping-stones to greater growth.

The key, as this anonymous prayer teaches us, is to learn to be grateful for the blessings we didn’t ask for.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be
happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for—but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly
blessed.1

1. in Suzy platt, ed., Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1993), 277.

The Sound of Music

In the WILK at BYU (Wilkinson Student Center) there is a wall. Against that wall stands a piano. Upon that piano lay fancy fingers of talent. My first day at BYU, I thought it was really weird to have a random piano in the school "cafeteria" and thought it was even weirder that people actually want to sit and play it in public (piano performance in front of others might be my biggest fear in the world). That's BYU though. It's cool I guess to have dramatic LOTR music in the background on my way to take a test; it's rather appropriate, actually. I'm not mocking. Only the truly talented and fearless do this and that's admirable.

I started playing the piano when I was 8. I think my sister Bethany was taking lessons and one day she was sick or something so I went to her lesson for her. (What? IDK) Anyway, that was that. I played for about 10 years...whenever I could find a teacher I liked. I was picky, but I learned from some really amazing women (namely Deanna Beams and Nicole Scarbrough). At BYU, though, this is the story for 99.9% of the student population and needless to say, I wasn't about to practice drills and "amateur" songs on the public pianos. It's been three years now since I've played and today I realized that music isn't the same to me anymore. That makes me sad. I really miss playing and I miss being a part of creating music. It's a really cool feeling. It's definitely one of the only beautiful things I could create. I'm not throwing a pity-party, I'm just saying I miss it. AND, if anyone has a spare piano in Utah that they want to give me, I have space in my apartment. Just saying ;-)

It's so

COLD!

The Next Step...

Wow. I don't know why the GRE gave me so much worry... it's not like I've never taken a standardized test. I'm horrible at testing. That's true. But this was especially overwhelming and I hardly slept last night... but now its OVER! I forgot how good it feels to accomplish something really important or big and am ecstatic to get my degree in April.

I also feel an overwhelming gratitude. I am so excited to be a speech-language pathologist and help people everyday. I love going to class and learning about all of it. I am also grateful for wonderful examples in my life, friends and family who take what they have and make something of it... who make it part of their lives and let it change them for the better. There are a great many talents I wish I had, or that I wish I hadn't given up on, but right now I just feel very blessed that I am moving forward towards a goal and loving it. That is something I haven't been able to do by myself. I know it's been given to me, academic success, through a pretty amazing principle called consecration. And I'm really, really grateful.

Wish me luck on graduate school applications. I'm applying to:

1) Arizona State University
2) University of Utah
3) University of Hawaii
4) University of Texas-Dallas

GREat!

It just might kill me... but it's totally worth it, right?

Wish me luck and send me a miracle!