The Final Days

This weekend was a fantastic one! I got to spend it with my dad, brothers, cousins, and friends.  It was so nice to see them and have them here to celebrate my 21! My mom flies in on Sunday and I drive back to California for the summer next Monday.  I couldn't be more excited!.  I am officially done with homework and assignments.  I just have a few reviews and then finals and I'm done.  There is so much to do before I leave. I need to have my mail forwarded, subscriptions put on hold, pack, take my name off of the utilities.  The list feels miles long.  So what? I get really overwhelmed because I always look at the big picture of everything I need to do.  It's something that I've been trying to work on because I am completely useless when I'm stressed out.  Now what?  I've started to make a list of all that needs to be done and I'm adding to it as I remember.  I need to get started on the list so that I can do well on all my finals as well as get all of these little loose ends tied.

The Day My Family Came

I cannot wait for the end of today.  My dad and brother, Caden, are driving up from California and will be here for the weekend.  Landen, my other brother, is up at BYU-I and they are done with school this week.  They will head up there tomorrow to pick him up and then be back later that night.  They plan on staying here for my birthday on Saturday.  I am so excited to see them, but I have so much to do!

As the semester gets closer to being over, I tend to loose motivation--especially winter semester when I know I get a few months off of school.  I have one major paper and the final business assignment for this class left and then I can focus on finals.  So what? I need to get those assignments done! I have been trying to write my BIO 100 paper for several days now, but there is always something that seems more interesting to do than write it.  I've made progress though.  I've written about 1500 of the minimum 2500 word count.  My goal is to bust the rest of that paper out on Friday while my family is up in Idaho.  Now what?  I need to actually do it.  I need to cut myself off from the internet and whatever other things I'm easily distract by and get it done.  As soon as these assignments are over, I'm done.  I just need to do it.

The Most Stressful Paper of My Life

After today, I officially have three days of school left.  I only go on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  It's been really nice.  In those last few days, I have several big papers and projects due.  I decided to get some of this work done ahead of time (who am I?) and submitted my paper (due next Tuesday mind you) last night.  It was one of the papers I was most dreading to write this semester.  I'm in Humanities 202 to fulfill my my Letters and Civ 2 credits.  The assignment was to either paint a portrait, compose a song, or write a story in the style of one of the artists/composers/authors we have talked about this semester.  I have never had artistic ability.  I barely passed art in middle school when I had to take it.  I was really nervous about the assignment and stressed about it for weeks.  I ultimately decided to write a story that, I think, came out really well.  I contained all the elements that the original author used.  I am so glad to have that assignment done and over with.  I can see the end!!! I have a few more application blogs, the team project, and the final business assignment left in MCOM, a few in-class quizzes in HIST 201, and my research paper for BIO 100 and I'm done! So what? A common theme for me is lack of motivation.  It has been especially hard this summer since I'm not in any classes I really care about.  It's the semester to get all of my GEs done.  With so little left to do (and my family coming next weekend) I want to get ahead on this stuff as much as possible so that I can actually spend time with them.  Now what? I have outlines for my major assignments done and I just need to sit down and focus.  Once this stuff is done, I just have finals to worry about, so I hope to get it done as soon as possible!

The One Time I Was Jewish

So last night I had my first ever experience with Passover.  One of my best friends has some Jewish relatives and she invited me over to take part in this tradition that her family has done for years.  Both sides of my family are Mormon, so I don't have a ton of experience with other religions.  The food was delicious and I really enjoyed learning more about this religion's beliefs.  We are currently studying Judaism in my Survey of World Religions class, so it tied in perfectly.  So what?  I haven't really been anywhere.  Growing up, we didn't have the money to travel, so I haven't seen much of the world.  I felt so cultured learning about this holiday.  Now what?  I want to keep learning.  I'm firm in my membership with the LDS church, but I don't see the harm in learning more and understanding about the beliefs of my friends.  I want to start to experience and learn more about other religions and cultures.

The One Time That I Could Breathe

The semester is almost over! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I have three more papers and a team project separating finals and me.  My mom flies in exactly one month from today to make the drive back to Southern California with me.  My two brothers and my dad will also be up here in about two weeks.  My brother (Landen) is up at BYU-I, so my dad and other brother (Caden) are driving up to pick him up from school.  It just so happens that that little trip falls over my birthday, so I could not be more excited.  So what? Even though things are starting to wind down, I still have a significant amount of points to claim in each of my classes.  I need to take this day to breathe and recover from the last few weeks, but I still need to keep motivated and get all my assignments done.  Now what?  I'm going to enjoy my day off (and by day I mean Friday).  Then it's back to work so that I can get ahead on these last few assignments.

The Time the Sun Came Out

I truly believe that seasonal depression is real--and I think I have it.  I've lived in California my whole life where the sun shines just about 365 days a year.  This whole snow, cold, and days without the sun is too much for me.  I have loved seeing it these past couple of days and I hope that means that winter is over and summer is on its way!  I've already seen a change in my mood and attitude since it started to shine.  So what? Now that my crazy week of assignments and midterms is over (I just walked out of my last one!) I can actually take the time to enjoy it.  I can sit outside while I do my readings for next week. Now what?  I'm going to actually get out there!  Once I publish this post, I shouldn't need the internet to get any more of my day's work done.  I can actually go sit on a planter and enjoy the weather.

The Time I Realized I Had Friends

On Tuesday nights, my roommate and a couple of our other friends get together for dinner and Pretty Little Liars.  That show is addicting and we die for it.  The last couple of weeks, it has just been Brittany (my roommate) and me because everybody has been feeling the pressures of school and work as of late.  This week, Corinne was able to come over.  I usually see her about twice a week, but I hadn't seen her since before I went home to California.  Three weeks is a super long time for us to go without seeing each other.  Last night, I went to dinner with one of my other best friends, Emilee.  We tried out this cute little place on State Street called Tortilla Bar.  That was the first time in several weeks that I had seen her too.  So what? These nights made me realize how much I miss my friends. I have been so overwhelmed by work and school over the past few weeks that I haven't made a huge effort to see either of them.  It made me realize that it's okay to take breaks from school and have a social life.  I feel less stressed about all I have to get done after my chats with them.  Now what?  I'm still going to focus on school and work.  I need to in order to do well this semester and graduate on time.  But now, I also realize that it is important to get out and do things.  I will make more of an effort to make and keep plans with my buddies.