My Semester in a Nutshell- longest post ever.

This semester in a nutshell (events not listed in any particular order):

-kept from overloading myself with classes for the first time

-spent a few days teaching college classes

-graded papers (:-/ ay! not exactly as much fun as one might hope for)

-walked in the rain

-tripped into the gutter in the rain and ripped my pants

-bought new pants

-admired the clouds

-experienced clouds of dry paint




-indulged in my love for the Hindu culture

-learned more about all major world religions

-bought the Dammaphada

-bought the Bhagavad Gita

-talked with my mom on the phone for hours upon hours

-experienced burnout

-wrote through the burnout

-didn't write due to burnout

-wrote through the burnout again

-shot moving targets for the first time



-learned what true commitment feels like

-learned what actual heartbreak feels like

-learned the importance of good friends in hard times

-was delighted when my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandfather joined facebook!

-realized how funny my father is

-benefited from the compassion of amazing friends and caring family in a hard time

-had a blast dancing Cuban salsa in a performance

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-wrote

-learned how to dance Polynesian with my roommate at 8am every saturday with my roommate and LOVED every moment of it

-walked around the Wilkinson Center at BYU half naked... and was ENCOURAGED to do so



-spent hours making my hair curly two days in a row for the Lu'au performance

-was complimented on my curly hair, but remained resistant to ever doing it again unless kairos dictates

-missed modern dance.... terribly

-cried over missing modern dance once

-partially overcame my resistance to allowing other people see me cry... by force

-learned about... everything. It wasn't enough. I want more.

-met some amazing people

-witnessed a transformation

-went snowshoeing- loved it



-wrote

-finished my article for the Pre-law Review Journal

-discussed the insanity defense with a variety of people

-gave a presentation detailing parallels between Seneca and Buddhism

-pondered the rhetoric of freedom

-learned and theorizes the rhetoric of identity

-had the best month-ish of my life with one of the most remarkable people I have ever known

-developed a deeper sense of compassion

-paid for a pen for a girl with Down's Syndrome because she didn't know how to do it herself
-she was entirely to apologetic... I worry that she is not treated with the love and patience she deserves

-went home to Vegas for one day

-went home to Vegas for a weekend

-danced with my dad

-realized what a great dancer my dad is

-dentist. novocaine. enough said.

-learned from and about my mother

-wrote

-benefited from the kindness of strangers and non-strangers alike... constantly

-acted like a jerk

-apologized for acting like a jerk

-missed my family

-begged my sister to come visit... no good

-missed my dog

-reconnected with old friends

-got a housing in contract in Provo so that I could still live with one of the best roommates and friends I have ever had, even though I do not yet have a summer job in Provo

-sought summer employment- no results yet

-loved. perhaps too much.

-persevered

-cried more in one semester than every other time I've cried in my life... put together

-STILL wound up more overloaded than I have ever been in my entire life

-went to way too many dollar movies

-went to my first live baseball game

-went to my first college volleyball game

-went to my first college basketball game

-admitted to not having been to any sporting events thus far in my college career. yes, I am a senior.

-began to love live sports

-won front row tickets to a volleyball game limboing while sick on behalf of a "friend"

-was bailed on by a "friend" and had to find other people to use the front row tickets won in a limbo contest

-was bailed on by my brother

-persisted to ask my brother to hang out, even though he always bailed

-worried after a brother who had both mono and tonsillitis

-successfully performed a clandestine mission to sneak my brother out of the boys-only part of an all boys dormitory so he could come watch the last session of General Conference

-learned from the shining examples of people far better than I am

-worried about someone for whom I passionately cared who has a scary illness

-learned to love life no matter what

-learned more about the CIA

-men... we won't go there. If you know me... it's the same story as usual- only different settings, different players, and different obstacles.





Naturally, too much happened for me to even begin to recount. This has been an amazing semester.

I just wish it would be over already. I'm sick of finals!!! ;-)