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.