January 2010. Bam.

Like Angelayla, I've always loved the New Year. It reminds me of being frozen at the starting line of a big race, waiting for the gunshot to signal the opportunity for all of last year's "training" to be enacted. In past years, I've gotten a little over-zealous in goal-setting. What usually happens is I compartmentalize my life into spiritual, social, educational, etc... categories, evaluate my progress in each of those areas, set a number of goals for each area, some as vague as "eat less chocolate" or "be more patient" and then step off the plane with vigor and promise in the New Year and semester. I'm frankly not surprised that most of my goals don't come to fruition during the year. Usually I follow through with them for a month (if I'm lucky) and then forget about them in the business of life. I usually accomplish a few of them (the ones I set, knowing I would accomplish them anyway). But this year I'm trying something different.

I still think that evaluating yourself and progress is important and vital to not stagnating your growth/progress or plateauing. But I think my problem has been that I don't evaluate myself often enough. I've decided that my main goal this year is .....(are you excited?)....

To set weekly goals (and daily goals...plan my days) and re-evaluate myself every sunday.

Bam! Apart from a few bigger goals, I think this is more do-able. What do you think?

-----------------------------------
Just finished my first week of classes back at the B to the Y to the U.

It has been an interesting week, full of challenges, inspiration, emotional extremes. Good. I finally have my classes all added and my schedule set in stone. My Chinese class looks daunting, to say the least. I left the class balling on the first day because my teacher was so intimidating. I'm still terrified of her, and her expectations, and 1/2 dread going to class everyday. I don't think I've ever heard such a feeling of complete inadequacies in any of my classes. However, I've also heard that she is the best professor in the Chinese department, so yeah. I guess its worth my anxieties?

Winter's Divine Tentacles of Providence

My View on my way to campus...

Can we get a "Majestic!" up in here!?

It's the last day of classes today. I am tired. Stayed up too late making ornaments out of lamb bones and bent forks for my History of Creativity project. I'm sure my project made history for "most weird" in the History of all creativity. Seriously.

I am antsy inside with Christmas Spirit, can't wait to start singing Christmas carols and find vienna sausages that I won't eat in stockings that I won't wear. And to refocus self on Christ. I love Christmas!

I bet you never thought of this method to defrost chicken.

Just one reason why I like Jeff and he makes me laugh...

The other night, we were making dinner and he asked what he could do to help. I said he could defrost the chicken. I then went to the bathroom and when I came out, waited for the microwave to finish heating up the chicked for 3 minutes...I openned the microwave and this is what I saw...

A cup for Christmas Cheer for you!

Oh: for those of you who don't know, I'm dating a nice boy named Jeff. He is so cute! This past weekend was way fun. We went to the "Christmas Tree Festival" which included a "gingerbread house festival" and also a "quilt festival" too. We went with my former roommate, Jenni, and her husband. It was a delightful way to start the Christmas season!

Me and Jeff in front of my favorite quilt.

Me in front of the biggest gingerbread house I've ever seen!
Jeff in front of a cool gingerbread house patterned after the movie "Up"..cuuuute
My former roommate Jenni and her cute baby Mariah in front of her fav quilt
Me and Jeff in front of this quilt titled "Christmas Gone Crazy". Notice Mariah in the top left corner about to beat me up...? Uh...see ya!

It was a delightful weekend! On saturday, we also went to Salt Lake to watch a BYU basketball game and then to go out to eat at this sweet pizza place, "The Pie".

Life is good.

Just a Note from your Neighborhood Rebound.

*Disclaimer: The last post's "gratitude list" was not in sequential order of how much I like them. I love my sisters atleast as much as wikipedia.

Soooooo this weekend rocked...not going to lie. Saturday I went on a blind date with a guy that Matt Hays set me up with -his name is Rob. He served in Taiwan on a mission as well, but before my time. It was fun! I don't know if he is interested enough to ask me out a second time. We will see. I can atleast say that the blind dates have gotten progressively better. Which is a serious plus. Maybe I am getting better at them, too. On saturday I spent all day on a research paper I have to write for my marriage prep class. Then I spent two hours playing volleyball with my peeps. THEN
I went splunking at the Nutty Putty Caves in Provo. It was sooo fun. It was my second "blind date" (sort of blind, but not really because I had already met him) of the weekend. He also served in Taiwan, but before my time (TALK ABOUT CONFUSING I couldn't remember what stories I had told this guy verses Friday night blind date...haha...I even called this guy by the other guys' name...aaaaaawkward....) Anyways, it was probably one of the funnest things I've ever done! And the craziest! It was snowing, and we had to go off-roading in his truck to get there, and then wander around in the snowy hills to find the caves...which were pretty randomly placed...then crawl around, sometimes on our stomach with our elbows...and got all dirty. It was so fun. I have bruises all over my knees to prove the hard-core of it all. So this guy's name is Seth, and likes to do everything I like to do, and he speaks Chinese. He also just broke up with his girlfriend last week and is sad about it. Story of my life. Hello, my name is Rebound! We will be good friends, I'm sure.

Today church was awesome. Can I just say that I love the Gospel? And Sunday? In Sunday school we talked about self-reliance, spiritual, economic, and educational...it was great and taught me a lot about what I can improve on. One of my favorite quotes of the day:

"Work is always a spiritual necessity even if work is not an economic necessity." -Neal A Maxwell

"I never let my schooling get in the way of my education" -Mark Twain

"You can't have patience if you don't have to wait for something" - Some Girl at church (insightful girl I might add)

personal revolution

WhAt ArE yOu GrAtEfUl FoR?

1. Chocolate Soy Milk
2. wikipedia.com
3. Friends, especially those that make me laugh
   
4. Sisters
5. Fresh, cold oranges
6. Healthy body
7. Classes that make you think: Sociology
8. Music
9. Modern-day Prophets and Leaders
10. General Conference Issue of Ensign=GOLD
11. Learning
12. Smiles
13. Sleep
14. Good home teachers
15. Opportunity to be a visiting teacher
16. Volleyball
17. Change - New Hobbies.
18. People and their Idiosyncrasies
19. My people from Taiwan
20. Opportunity to Serve a mission
21. Book of Mormon and the prophets inside, their examples
22. Trials/challenges because its only through them I will grow...(I'm convincing myself)
    
23. The Temple
24. Christ's example and the softening of heart that comes when we refocus on His will.
    
25. Quality Conversations
    

Things I am going to adopt as my newest Hobbies (possibly not until next semester or within the next year)

1. Water polo
2. Flute
3. Cooking
4. Photography
   

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still

So I just stumbled upon my old blog musingsoflindsey.blogspot.com....quite amusing to read about my freshman year musings. No pun intended, Ha! Ha!

So. Halloween was awesome. Friday night some girls from my ward and I went out to Thai Ruby, it was delicious...after which I had an intramural volleyball game. We made a sweet comeback after losing our first game, losing a player (so playing 4 on 6!) and ended up winning (!!!!!) So far our record is 2 wins 1 loss in upper division intramurals. Next game: Thursday. I love volleyball.

THEN we (the girl I visit teach, Jessica, and her roommate) went to a Halloween party my mission friend was throwing. I was "Where's Waldo." My favorite part of the night was when we ventured to public place, I hid in the crowds and we took pictures of "Where's Waldo?" Hahaha...Good times.


Saturday I woke up early-ish, went to our ward's Elder's-Quorum-Makes-the-RS breakfast activity (my fav one so far). Yum. Then I studied on campus for 4 hours, took a Functional Anatomy Test, played volleyball for 2 hours on campus with some friends, then my friends David, Megan and Betsy and I decided to have a "chill" Halloween night of making pizza and watching "Elf". It was fun & relaxing, great combo.




Sunday morning was delightful. We had Stake Conference, and I learned a lot about hope as a "plan of action" instead of just a feeling and how it must be centered in Christ. Oddly enough, a lot of the talks were about breaking up and how dating experiences are for our good and "worth of the pain". Ha, I love BYU. After that, I went and had PB&J sandwhich picnic with David, Megan and Betsy (again). It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon...quite delightful if I do say so myself. After that, friend David and I went over to G&G Hatch's house to visit and then to the CES Fireside of President Uchtdorf. It was such a good fireside, I always end up feeling so empowered and loved after listening to him speak. He answered some of the many questions of our age. Solid.

So, life is good currently. Its been hard to focus this week. I think one of the hardest things for me to accept in life is waiting...not knowing the future, or what will happen, or what I should do, or what other people will do. Its almost agonizing at times. I just want to know. I guess thats the whole meaning of patience. And humility. And faith. And life. Blast! Does that mean I'm failing at all of those?............


...............................................................