Home for the Hollidays

Well I am back in Las Vegas. It's a whole lot warmer here. Finals are over, thank goodness. Finals were terrible, but I kept my goal of not eating ice cream or getting on facebook while finals were going on, and I was quite proud of myself. Let me clarify though, finals were only terrible because of the amount of stress I put into them. I actually didn't do so bad. I think I am going to get all A's and A-'s.

Well I am reunited with my family once again, and it is great. I got home Friday night, and right afterwards we went to their ward Christmas party. Saturday night, we saw the live Nativity. Sunday night we went to a concert for the Las Vegas Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus. Monday night we went Christmas caroling. And tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner. So, so far we've had something to do every night. And Friday we are going to see the Nutcracker. So excited!!

So lately I've been thinking a lot about my major and my future and I have finally officially decided that I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what I want to do. Not a clue. I like writing. I like drawing and art. I want to help people. I want to make a difference in the world. And nothing I find feels quite right for me. I walked in to college with a perfect view of what I wanted to do. I was going to major in English and become an author of fiction. I thought I would never ever change my mind. And then I started taking all these amazing classes that opened my mind until I realized that there is a world of opportunity out there and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do. Life is frustrating like that.

On a brighter note, Christmastime has gotten me into a very thankful mood as I remember all of the things I have been blessed with. I have been blessed with the opportunity to actually go to BYU. I have been blessed with supporting parents. I have been blessed with great friends and roommates. I have been blessed with an eternal family. I have been blessed with a strong mind, good learning abilities, and many talents. I have been blessed with growing up in the church. And I have been blessed with a body.

Recently, I got to really thinking about the spirit world and how different it would be to not have a body. I imagined what it would be like to be put into a body with all of the memories of not having one and how eternally grateful I would be. Imagine what it would be like, to experience taste for the first time. To experience the sensation of smell for the first time. To finally have control over your arms and legs. To feel the blood run through them for the first time and to feel the pounding of your heart deep within you. To see clearly all of the colors of the rainbow with brand new eyes. To run and jump and leap and twirl and dance all with the control of legs you have never had before. For the first time, you can actually pick something up. You can throw, you can hug, you can draw. You take a deep breath, filling your lungs full of air, and slowly let the air out, feeling how good it is to be alive. You have to touch absolutely everything, to feel the difference in texture under your fingers between walls, grass, wood, water, dirt, carpet, flowers, animal fur. You are overcome with emotion and you cry for the first time. It is all so new, so wonderful.

I thought about this and how so often we look at ourselves and see all of the imperfections. We need to remember to be grateful for our bodies and the amazing gifts they are, because once upon a time, we didn't have any bodies. Don't really know what this has to do with Christmas, but I've been thinking a lot about this lately and felt I should share it. So remember to stay cheerful and grateful for what you have and Merry Christmas!

Winding down in the semester

Today was my last day of classes. Next week is finals and then next Friday I go home again! Yay! I'm so excited. It was so nice to go home for Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago. We went to Disneyland that weekend and that was an absolute bast! I love that place. Well the past couple weeks have been more than a little bit stressful. I had three Spanish projects and two English projects due this week. Finally got the last one turned in today. Now I just have to worry about finals, and since I don't have classes, it won't be as stressful as midterms. I hope.

Today is cleaning checks. That will be nice to have our apartment all clean again. Last week, we moved the table into the hallway and all of our beds into the kitchen and slept in the kitchen. We slept in there every night. And to get to the other side of the hallway was like going through an obstacle course with the table in the hallway. It was fun, but it got old really fast. It's nice to be back in my room and the table back in the kitchen. However, it hasn't been clean since the sleepover in the kitchen, so that's why I'm looking forward to cleaning checks.

Sunday was the Christmas Devotional, and Lexi and I were invited to watch it with another dorm. Originally we were going to go as a group to Salt Lake and see it live, but there was a severe weather watch, so we just watched it in their kitchen instead and that was really nice. I'm really happy it is Christmastime. We have Christmas decorations all in our dorm and a Christmas tree. But it was nice to watch the Devotional and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas isn't about the presents, or the food, or the songs, or the decorations, or even about the family. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. I think we all lose track every now and again what Christmas is all about. We try to remember it is about love and spending time with family, but while that is nice and very important, there is an even greater meaning to Christmas: Christ. I hope we can remember that this Christmas season.

Well I have made a goal not to get on facebook again until after finals are over, so I will post this, and then it is goodbye to facebook for me.

Well that is all for now!