I have been fully aware for many years that I talk in my sleep.
I have been on trips with friends, and they have all told me that I talk in my sleep. I even had a friend say, "Why were you up so late last night, and who were you talking to?" Turns out, the girl I was sharing a bed with also talked in her sleep, and we sat up in bed all night having a conversation.
Turns out, if I am talking in my sleep, and someone talks to me, I will respond.
Over the years, I have learned that it is the nights I go to bed super late and am up and down all night causing me to be unable to sleep deeply that I am most prone to talk in my sleep.
I have also discovered that if you talk back to me, eventually, I wake up and realize what is going on and get super embarrassed. Then, I get frustrated and tell people I am aware of what's going on. Hahaha...
Well, folks, the last two nights have been prime nights for my sleep talking. Lucky for you, Sarah recorded me. I have generously put those videos on YouTube. I also translated them all for you.
I am just going to answer the question that seems to be on everyone's mind.
No, I do not have a boyfriend.
Hahahahahaha it is seriously funny that every person that I talk to always asks, "How is college? Are you dating anyone yet? Are you engaged?" {No, this questions does not bother me AT ALL, it actually makes me laugh a little. Laughing is good for the soul.}
Yes, people, it is possible to go to college at BYU and not be engaged by the time you finish your first semester. I love how there is some myth at BYU and BYU-I that any person who goes to either university will be meet "the one" on the first day of college, fall in love, get engaged, get married, and live happily ever after---all in the first three months of college. At least, that's what everyone told me right before I headed off to college.
Now, when I come home to visit, literally everyone asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?" If my answer is that yes, I do, the next question is, "Are you going to get married?", and if my answer is no, the next question is, "WHY NOT?! YOU WOULD BE SUCH A CATCH!"
Well, folks. I wish it was that easy to find my eternal companion.
Finding an eternal companion is hard, stressful, and there's definitely been heartbreak along the way.
I didn't date much in high school. In fact, I went on more dates my first three weeks of college than I did probably all of high school. The entire dating game shifted for me, and it hit me like a brick my first few weeks at Aspen Grove. It was interesting to go from high school, where dating was for fun, to immediately be in the dating world where it was all about finding your eternal companion.
Next, I will answer the second question on everyone's mind: "Do you date a lot?"
Yes, I did date a lot. In fact, 42 dates and 2 boyfriends in my first semester.
In high school, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted in an eternal companion.
I wanted someone tall, attractive, spiritual, good at sports, etc. The typical guy that I think most everyone wants. But now that I am actually on the search for my eternal companion, I have learned a lot of things, and most importantly, I am starting to figure out what exactly I am looking for.
I was having a conversation with a very wise person one time, and he said to me, "Ya know, Alice, the single most important piece of advice I have ever received on dating has been this, 'Find a partner, not a project'.
That is now the most important piece of advice I have ever received regarding dating. I want someone that will be on the same page as me spiritually. Over this semester, I have decided that my number one quality is no longer the physical attraction. Don't get me wrong, being physically attracted to my eternal companion is still HUGE {and in my top few qualities to look for}, but I feel like someone who compliments me and is one the same page spiritually is more important. I want someone I can spiritually grow with, someone who will push me to grow spiritually, and help me raise a family with the Lord. This is so very important to me.
When I was registering for classes, I chose between Marriage Prep and Mission Prep. I had already taken Mission Prep through the Institute here in Blackfoot, so I opted for Marriage Prep. Holy Hannahs, I am glad that I did. I have learned so many principles that will benefit my future relationships, both with my eternal companion AND any relationship that I will have forever. But, I think more than anything, I realized that marriage is going to be really tough. Something that will frustrate me, annoy me, and make me upset sometimes, but also bring so much happiness and joy into my life. As scary as getting married is, though, I have also decided that as long as I rely on the Lord and make him the center of my life, everything will work out and be okay. I have to put in my 100%, and it won't be easy, but boy will it be worth it.
Lastly, I have discovered above all, getting married will all happen when the time is right. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am at BYU, or that my friends are at BYU-I, but it has everything to do with the correct timing. There have been people come and go in my life, that I later realize would have worked out wonderfully, only if the timing was different. It is crazy to think that something as simple as timing can make or break the deal. I know that I will find my eternal companion some day when the timing is right. All I have to do is trust in the Lord, and be the best that I can be. Also, be patient. {I struggle with patience, but this is yet another trial to teach me how to be patient}. The rest will just work out.
I did it. I finished my first semester of college!
It was so much harder than I thought it would be, but also very different than I ever imagined. There are lots of things that I have learned, too!
{HOMEWORK}
I was told to expect staying up super late every night to do homework, and I even had a few people tell me to expect some nights with no sleep. At the beginning of school, I made a priority list, and I made a goal that no matter what my homework load was like, at midnight, it was bed time. I would much rather get up early in the morning than stay up extra late.
I also made the goal to not do homework on Sundays. Sundays were the day of the Lord, and I wanted to find a way to make myself treat Sundays different than any other day of the week. I knew that I would be blessed.
Also, I made the decision to ALWAYS choose the Lord over school. That meant two things. First, before I did any homework at all, I would read my scriptures for thirty minutes. Secondly, I would go to the temple at least once a week.
I WAS SO BLESSED. I could say this a thousand times and it would NEVER get old, nor would I ever say it as much as I needed to. Throughout this semester, there was only one night that I stayed up past midnight doing homework, and it was spent writing an essay that I really enjoyed writing and WANTED to work on it as long as I could. {I ended up getting a 99% on that darn essay, too. It took a total of 13 hours to write! Also one of the reasons that I changed my major} I also never had to wake up earlier than 7 each morning to do homework. In fact, my alarm was set to go off at 7:45 each morning! I averaged 7-8 hours of sleep each night. How many college students can say that? Then, I NEVER did homework on a Sunday! Not even studied for a test, and I always found ample time to study. It was awesome! However, I was not always very good at reading my scriptures first. I only did it about 70% of the time, and I know that the days I chose to keep my priorities straight, I got my homework done quicker and more efficiently. Also, I did make it to the temple every week, with the exception of three weeks, which I was not in Provo for those. Originally, I had the intention just to go once a week, each Saturday morning. I started out getting up at 5 am, getting to the temple at 5:30, then be out and back in bed by 6:30. I started pondering why I go to the temple, and what I wanted out of it. I decided that I was no longer going to get up super early and try to hurry in and out of the temple. I wanted to spend time there! So, I intentionally planned temple trips during the busiest times of the week! Saturday mornings at 9! I would go at 9, and not get out until about 1! This was so good for me to force myself to take time each week to ponder my life and everything, with no distractions, no worries about time, homework, or how much I hated Chemistry. As the semester progressed, there were times throughout the week that my load just seemed to be unbearable. I would have a frustrating day at school, or feel like I didn't have enough time in my day to accomplish everything. I would walk in my apartment with dishes to be done, floors to be swept, or laundry that needed to be done. I would just want to pack up my stuff and leave. I quickly learned that when these moments came into my life, the best thing I could possibly do would be to drop everything and go to the temple. Literally, during finals week, I chose to go to the temple three times instead of study. Who does that?!? I DO! I was blessed beyond measure. I walked into my finals more prepared than I would have if I actually studied. I did so well on every final, and I probably only spent a few hours studying for a few of my classes, and the rest, I only spent about an hour. Now, for next semester, I know what to do to fully utilize the opportunities in my life that are present to simply bless me.
{DON'T GIVE UP}
In high school, I have never had a class that I didn't understand. Everything seemed to come so easily for me. The biggest challenge, educationally, that I had in high school came from We The People when I had to memorize countless things and read into the wee hours of the morning preparing for our competitions and practice panels. In math classes, there may be a day here and there that there is a concept I struggle with grasping, but I would just go back through the text book and reteach myself the concept, and I understood it. I always understood eventually, so being in a class where I don't understand what is going on is something I had never experienced before. I was signed up for a Chemistry class, and of course, I have heard horror stories about Chemistry, but I was like, "No way. I've got this." We had assignments every day that would take about an hour to do, and I was flying through everything. Before I knew it, my first test was upon me, and I knew everything on it. I went into the test feeling uneasy about how confident I was. However, when I received my test back, it only confirmed that I really did know the stuff on my test. Thank heavens! But then, the material we started learning for the second test was so difficult. I would spend hours reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading the material only to have absolutely no clue what was going on. My life quickly became consumed with the worry and stress of Chemistry. I would go to class, guess myself through all the questions, and then only get more and more behind each time. The second test came, and I felt so unprepared. I was devastated. I felt like a failure. I studied so hard for the test, and went into the testing center truly feeling like I was going to fail this test. The problem was that the test for Chemistry was all written. No multiple choice to guess on, which meant you either knew the material, or you didn't. I literally guessed on everything, and somehow, I got a 70% on the test. I still don't know how I did it. Then, the decision came. During the time we were spending learning the material for the 2nd test, I changed my major, which meant, I no longer needed the Chemistry credits to apply for my major. I was made aware of the fact that.the following week was the withdrawal deadline. I wanted so badly to withdraw from Chemistry and save myself from all the stress that Chemistry was causing. I was coming to Idaho for the weekend, and decided to talk to my parents about it. My Mom was telling me that it was my decision, but my dad was pushing me to stick with the class. I only had five weeks left of the class, I should just endure to the end. Well, folks, I did. I hated the heck out of that class, but I did it. I finished. I had a third exam that was even harder than the second test! Then, a final that took me two hours, and I finished the class with a high B. Holy crap. How did that even happen? I didn't give up. I kept going, and I am thankful that I did.
{IT'S OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND}
My entire life I have wanted to be a Nurse, and more specifically, a nurse that worked in Labor and Delivery. Literally, my entire life. I have never even considered another job. So, when I started college, I also started the pre-requisite's for the nursing program. I had no idea how competitive and hard the nursing program at BYU would be. Literally, it was impossible to get into! About halfway through the semester, I started realizing just how much I hated the pre-requisite's for the program, which eventually turned into me wondering whether or not I would enjoy the program. I then debated whether to suck it up and hate the next four years of college, or change my major and do a nursing program somewhere else. I chose to change my major. When I made the final decision and saw the change on my transcript, it was such a bittersweet moment. I was so thrilled to be in my new major, but so sad to know that I would no longer becoming a nurse at BYU. But, despite the sadness, I was THRILLED!!! I am now in the Communications program with an emphasis in Journalism. This means I get to be a writer! I LOVE WRITING. This also means I could be a news anchor. Do you even know how fun that would be?? Ahhh! It is OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!
{GET THROUGH IT}
The class that drove me the craziest this semester was my Book of Mormon class. Holy Hannahs, I think that class bothered me more than my Chemistry class did, and that is saying a lot. I loved seminary, and maybe I am just struggling with the fact that I no longer have Brother Abercrombie anymore, but I think it's more of the fact that my teacher just wanted to be hard. Seriously. At first, I thought, "Oh, this class won't be that bad! It should be so much fun to learn about the gospel!" It did't take long for me to learn this class would quickly become my second most stressful class {next to chemistry, and I had a 14.5 credit schedule with three 3 credit classes.} That is not right. My teacher wrote a textbook, which was the same size as my chemistry text book, and I had daily assignments from that book. The daily assignments weren't too bad, other than we had questions to answer from every two-three verses of scripture, and to me, the majority of the questions seemed rather irrelevant to my testimony. I had a quiz in the testing center about each week that were on 120-150 questions we had to memorize for the quiz. On top of the quizzes, we had exams that were 85 questions and SUPER HARD. The majority of the questions were like, "What does 1 Nephi 10:1 say?" or "Mark all correct answers". It got to the point where I would just go to the testing center with the mentality of ,"Well, you are suppose to BOMB BOM tests, right?" Pretty much IMPOSSIBLE. In my opinion, BOM classes should be about fostering spiritual growth and encouraging each of us to dive into the scriptures and see what the spirit has to tell us for that time in our lives. The classes with this teacher seemed to drive away the spirit because everything was made into a joke, or my teacher would argue with a boy in my class that was a Ute fan. I dreaded going to the class. I even had to write four essays for the class, and keep a very detailed log of my reading times and chapters. Thankfully, I made it through the semester with an A {such a miracle}. Thankfully, I learned that there are going to be classes that I do not enjoy AT ALL, nor will I agree with the teacher's teaching style, but I just need to get through it.
{PEOPLE WILL COME AND GO}
People come and go. I need to accept it. I think my fatal flaw is that I seem to care about people too much. I invest too much, and I worry too much. I met some incredible people in my classes this semester. In fact, I walked away with some of my best friends as people that I met in my classes. I had study groups, friend groups, and even dates that came from these people! There were a few of my classes that I dreaded, but because of the people in my classes, I always looked forward to spending time with them! Now, in high school, when classes ended and I had friends in the class, it was like, "Yeah, we will see each other in the halls!" College is way different. When I was in my classes on the last day, it was like, "Oh, well, have a good life." It was so weird to watch these people walk away, knowing we were all walking in separate directions, both literally and with our lives. There really is a chance I will never see them again. I hate goodbyes so much. I don't even have words to describe how much I hate it. So far, this is the hardest part about this semester being over. Saying goodbye.
{CHEMISTRY ISN'T ALL STRESSFUL}
{I'LL ADMIT THAT I WAS WRONG}
All growing up, I wanted nothing more than to go to Brigham Young University in Provo. That all changed my sophomore year of high school. I wanted to go anywhere outside of Idaho that was not BYU. My reasoning behind this was that I had just gone to school with kids that were majority LDS, and it was a horrendous experience. I felt as though the majority of the kids I went to school with didn't have a strong testimony at all. There were two kinds of people---the LDS kids that lived life as if they weren't members, and the LDS kids that were my relatives. I know that not everyone fits into these two categories, but enough did that I wanted to go to a school that the gospel wasn't just there for you without working to have the spirit with you. I wanted somewhere that I would find a husband that had fought for his testimony. I also wanted to go somewhere that I could have missionary experiences. BYU did not fit those categories, or at least I thought they didn't. When it came time to apply for colleges, my parents didn't allow me to apply to any college other than BYU and BYU-I. I wasn't very excited about it, but I ultimately chose Provo because I ruled out BYU-I before I even knew I got in. There was no way I was going to school with kids I had grown up with. BYU-I was just a little too close to home. This summer at Aspen Grove {the kids from there are still my Aspen Grove family. When I see any of the AG kids on campus, I get so happy! I feel so at home!} really reassured me that if BYU was anything like the AG people, I would be totally fine and love it! I have never been around such an accepting group that just loved me for me! No competition, no jealousy, just a big family. BYU proved to be just that. Granted, there are a few people that I have met that struggle with jealousy, competition, and people that just aren't very nice, but for the majority of the kids, I was wrong. I really love the atmosphere of BYU! I really feel like it is where I belong. I am so glad I chose BYU over BYU-I. :)
{ANYWAYS}
All in all, this semester was a good learning experience. I truly learned a lot! Not all about school stuff, but I learned a ton about life as well. I will treasure the experiences that I had, as well as the friendships I made. I hope the friendships will continue forever. Now that it is over, it is rather bittersweet. However, I think this next semester will blow it out of the water! I cannot wait! I have my best friends moving so close to me, I have all new classes, new adventures, and I GET TO MEET MORE PEOPLE AND MAKE MORE FRIENDS! Please, let this semester be far better than the great one I just had. College, surprisingly, I like you.
A lot has happened in my life the last few weeks! Lots of random things here and there, as well as many things I have realized, and finals are just around the corner!
#1: It is basketball season! My absolute favorite! I have only been able to go to one game because of my busy schedule, and tonight I get to go to my second game, but here was mine and Kathy's first basketball game together! The place she works gave each employee two tickets to the game right next to the court! We were on the second row! Coolest basketball game, ever!
Then, Kathy and I had a sleepover. What a babe.
#2: I am so thankful that there is a temple just down the street from my apartment! I know that I do not utilize it as much as I should, even if I do go every week! I love even just visiting the temple grounds, but I had a really neat experience there a little over two weeks ago. It was the last day the temple would be open for the year due to them closing it for cleaning or something. I usually go at 5:20 on Saturday mornings, and then I am back in bed at about 6:20. However, I figured that I would want to spend time in the temple, so I went when I knew it would be busiest---9:00 am. I had a ward party at 12, and I knew I would be cutting it close, but I still wanted to go. When I arrived, I had no idea just how many people would be there! The overflow was overflowing, so I was taken to the lunchroom! I was put at a table with four other girls that I did not know, and my table was asked to be in charge of choosing and leading hymns for all of us to sing while we waited. I think we sang about 30-40 hymns while I was in there! The Spirit was so strong while we sang the hymns! I loved it! However, it came to be my table's turn to go change, and the lady accidentally skipped my table! She sent back about 20 girls before us, and I started to get really impatient! I was truly upset that she had let them go before me! But then, I was like, "Alice. Chill. You came here to spend time in the temple, and this is not a big deal. This is far more important than the ward party. You need to practice patience." It hit me just how foolish that was of me. Yes, I had a good reason to want to be done by 12, but I needed to be patient. I did end up missing the ward party, and I didn't get out of the temple until 1:15, but it was probably my most favorite temple trip so far. I am thankful I had the opportunity to have that learning experience in the temple! I truly need to work on my patience!
#3: I have the most amazing friends in the entire world. Truly, it is no accident that I met Karen and Kathy.
#4: McDonald's is currently having two deals that we took full advantage of! The first one was Big Mac Monday! Every Monday in November had 99 cent big macs! Ummmm.... YUM! So, every Monday, it was BIG MAC MONDAY! The second one is every time there is a Jazz home game, you get a drink and 10 chicken nuggets for $2! Ok, so of course, we have to take advantage of this deal, too! Karen is such a babe.
#5: As much as I love Provo, Idaho will always be home. Idahome.
#6: I love my family. They are my best friends! First family photo with all of us (including Chelsie) EVER!
#7: I am so incredibly blessed. Thanksgiving has slowly become one of my favorite holidays. Now that my Uncle Ben's family has moved only about 2 hours away, we do a lot with their family. Last year, my family started a tradition where we help prepare and serve a meal to the lonely, homeless, and less fortunate for Thanksgiving. This year, we continued the tradition! I truly love doing this! It is my favorite part of Thanksgiving---serving others. What better way to show you are thankful than to truly see how blessed you are? Truly humbling.
#8: I am excited for Christmas. Brookie and I got to decorate the tree together! So fun! I can't wait for the stress-free break!
#9: I hate wind, but Idaho just wouldn't be Idaho without the wind. Honestly, though.
#10: Brookie is my bestest little friend. I just love her so much!
#11: As annoying or cold snow is, I will not deny the fact that it is beautiful. I think I would enjoy snow if I didn't have to go outside and deal with it.
#12: I truly love Macaroni and Cheese, but I discovered two things about Organic Mac & Cheese. First, it doesn't taste anywhere near as good as normal Mac & Cheese does, and secondly, ummm... apparently you get a random big noodle in your box! What the heck?!?
#13: I am getting a new sister. I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER! I love Chelsie with all my heart!
#14: I have officially come to the conclusion that road trips with Roger Maxwell and Zach Robinson are my absolute favorite. Literally, top of my list!
So, I really truly hate snow with a little more than a passion. I was all snuggled into bed last night when I heard the news that it was suppose to snow in the middle of the night. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I have been dreading this for so long.
When people hear that I hate snow, they are surprised and ask, "Aren't you from Idaho?" I reply with something along the lines of, "Yes, I am, and it is a lot colder there. Not only that, but it is also extremely windy so the snow feels like it is cutting into your face as it is being blown onto your skin."
I have my reasons to hate the snow. First, it is cold. I hate the cold! I have a disease called Raynaud's Phenomenon, which basically means that all my veins are too small. My body is extremely sensitive to temperature change, and getting too cold is fairly dangerous for me. I think I am always about 10 degrees colder than everyone else all year long. I wear sweaters and jackets in the middle of summer. Imagine how cold I get when it is actually cold outside. So, the snow just causes me to have a lot more problems with my disease because it is cold. Second, snow is really dangerous to drive in. Especially where I live in Idaho. I have never been in an accident, nor do I ever want to. I really hate driving in the snow. Third, I hate when it melts and freezes or just melts and puddles. It makes my feet soaking wet. Then, I get cold. Fourth, it is really hard to walk in. It makes everything slick. There is a hill just outside my apartment that I have to climb to get to campus, and today, I almost slipped and fell multiple times. I would seriously break in half if I fell down that hill. I get so nervous anytime I am around that hill now. Also, back home, I could get away with driving to school, then to work, and finally, home. I only had to be outside for a minute or two at a time. Here, I can't do that. I have to be outside for 10-20 minutes just to walk to my classes. {Today was extra bad because the snow was blowing in my eyes, and I couldn't see where I was walking. Totally ran into a few people. My bad, whoops.}
Basically, I just do not like it at all. But, today, I woke up to the snow. Inches of snow. Yuck. I said to myself, "Alice. This is only the first day with snow. You have a long ways to go. You better just make the best of it." {And yes, I do talk to myself. I mean, I am always needing expert advice.} So, I decided to do something crazy.
Regardless of how much I hate snow, when I see fresh snow that no one else has touched, I get sudden urges to jump in it or run through it just to mess it up. I don't know why, but I do. Today, I got that urge. I saw Clyde hill and it's perfectly smooth hill, and said to myself, "Ummmm.... I want to slide down that." Then, I remembered that I still have my pool tube from this summer, so I ran back to my apartment, grabbed it, then, ran back to slide down the hill. It didn't work as well as I had wanted, but each time we went, we would go a little farther. We managed to get videos and photos of our quick little adventure. I am proud to say that Clyde hill is no longer perfectly smooth. I ruined it.
