Finals Week, Soup, and Christmas Programs

So our heater is not working...This isn't the first time either. But it was working this morning. But now it only turns on for like 3 minutes and then turns off and during the time it is on it only spews out cold air. So we are basically freezing. My roommate's currently jumping and spinning around the room to stay warm. On another  note, church was lovely today. We had the Christmas program, which I sang a solo in. The Christmas stories were beautiful and touching, and the choir did very well (at least I thought).

Just a suggestion though to, well, everyone. When you are sitting in the audience, try to at least look complacent while someone is giving a talk or singing. Because some people look grumpy or depressed when they relax their face muscles. I used to notice that my old bishop in my home ward looked angry when he would sit up on the stand. He wasn't angry, of course, but that was just what his expression looked like when he didn't put any expression on it. So just a suggestion, smile at speakers, or at least try to look a bit more bright eyed and complacent when someone is speaking/singing. Helps them out.

It's finals this week, which means I won't be getting on facebook again until they are all over. I do this every time I take finals. I'm kind of really superly stressing about this (meaning finals). But I made a promise with Heavenly Father that I wouldn't study today if he would help me pass my finals. It's seriously taking a lot of will power not to break out my notes and start making flashcards. My instincts are telling me that it just makes sense to utilize this time with studying. But recently I read a quote by some apostle that promised that if you keep the Sabbath day holy and leave your studying for the rest of the week, you will do better on your tests. So as much as my heart is hyperventilating over this, I am going to have faith that the Lord will bless me if I wait until tomorrow to study. So I guess I'll let you know how that goes.

Well last Friday I had work and then went to a friend's house to study. After a while of studying, we went to the store and everyone bought food to get them through finals week. Except me, because I forgot my wallet. But I have discovered something about myself. Grocery shopping stresses me out. Or really any sort of shopping just for myself. Part of the reason I have not gone grocery shopping this semester is because it seriously stresses me out so much. When I am at the store, all I can think about is "I can't afford this. I am so poor. Is it worth it? I have food at home. This is only going to make me fat." I will literally pick something off the shelf, stare at it in my hand for a minute, and then put it back on the shelf. BUT yesterday, I found something that I didn't mind at all buying in abundance. Okay so it stressed me out a little bit. But I bought a bunch of cans of soup to get me through finals. Some people prefer ice cream. Some people prefer food for munching, like cookies or chips. But what gets me through finals however is soup. That's what I ate last year during finals, and that's what I'm going to do again this year. Why is this significant? Because I have finally found my comfort food! Because honestly, when I am stressed, eating sugar usually makes it so much worse, because all I can think about is how unhealthy I am being and then it doesn't comfort me at all. But I don't feel guilty about eating soup!

Anyways, sorry for boring you all with that bit of news. What I really want to write about was the beautiful Christmas program I went to tonight. It was for my friends' stake. Two of my friends were singing in the choir, so we (myself and two friends) came to support them. It was so beautiful! I felt the spirit so strongly, and I want to tell you why. Haha I sound like a salesman. But every time the choir sang, this girl who was deaf got up and signed the words. My eyes were fixed on her. And not just because her hands were moving. Think about it. Imagine not being able to hear. This time of year is such a beautiful time of year, with songs everywhere, rejoicing in Christ and his birth, in family and love, in this gospel. Music touches us in ways nothing else can. It expresses our deepest feelings. I do not think I could every truly comprehend how it would be to live in a world of silence, but as I watched this girl sign the words to these Christmas songs, I imagined what it would be like to stand up on that stage, with a choir singing behind me, but not being able to hear them. To be full of emotion and love of the gospel, and want to show it to all. To pour my heart out into my hands. To sing with my arms. As I watched this girl signing, the spirit touched me so strongly. Her silent song was the most beautiful sounding song I had ever heard.

Our heater's working again! Hopefully it stays working during the night. Well, wish my luck on my finals. The semester is almost over. My sister and I have been counting down the days until it ends, as it has been an extremely stressful semester for the both of us. I am very impressed with the work load my sister has. She has a job, is part of a choir, has a church calling, has three little boys, is pregnant, and is trying to finish school. Crazy! I am so excited to go home and see my nephews and watch Christmas movies and eat real meals and hug my mom. It's going to be a good Christmas.

Well, I am going to bed early tonight. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmastime is in the air

It's been a good weekend. I guess it's preparing me for a tough next two weeks. With finals approaching I have SO much to do. I can't think too much about it, or I feel like my heart starts hyperventilating. I should have done so much homework this weekend, but I didn't. But this weekend was still magical for me. Friday night, I went to dinner with friends for a girl's night out. It started off with running through the rain on campus to get to the ATM machines. There were Christmas lights on the trees and the lights glistened off the wet ground. Something about running through the rain with friends and with Christmas lights around you is just magical feeling. We then went to dinner and laughed and acted like our crazy selves in between worrying whether or not our waiter hated us. After dinner, we went back to their apartment and laid down in their hallway. How I love my friends!

The next day, we had our pictures taken so that we could make Christmas cards for our friends on missions. That night, I went with my friends Lexi and Becca to a concert outside in the cold. The concert wasn't exactly my type of music. And I wasn't wearing a sweater with sleeves, so I froze. But still it was nice to be with friends, and to meet new people, and to eat cookies afterwards while watching Mulan.

And then today was church which was very good, and I just got back from the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. It was lovely. The music was beautiful, the talks were touching. And to top this wonderful weekend off, I was able to get a sub for my shift on Tuesday, which I am SO happy about, because that means I get to go to our ward's Christmas dinner and special program in Aspen Grove. I felt so bad because I told the bishop I was going, and they paid for the tickets, and then I got called in to work. But all's well.
So hopefully this will be enough motivation to get me through the next two weeks. Those 5 essays I was going to write last week? Yeah I only finished two. And tomorrow is cleaning checks. Who does that? Make us clean on a Sunday?

Well anyways, as it is now December, I would like to say my words on Christmas. Christmas is magical time of year, but only if you make it so. One thing I have learned over the years is that you can't say "It doesn't feel like Christmas" or it REALLY won't feel like Christmas. You have to just start saying "It feels like Christmas" and pretty soon it will. Because each Christmas is unique, and you can't expect it to be the same as last year's, especially since our memories tend to distort things from how they really were. No matter if it is raining instead of snowing, if it is hot instead of cold, if you are the only one in the apartment who will decorate for Christmas, if you are far from home, if you just haven't had time to watch your favorite Christmas movie, if the gingerbread cookies burnt, you can still make it feel like Christmas!

Here's how:
1. Sing Christmas songs.
2. Read the Christmas story during your scripture study.
3. Serve someone. The more you serve, the more you love. The more you love, the more it feels like Christmas.
4. Make a new friend.
5. Every time you see a Christmas tree, take a second to admire it's beauty.
6. Wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas.
7. And (again) tell yourself that it feels like Christmas.

Because in the end, it's not the place you are in that makes it feel like Christmastime, it's your own attitude.

With that, Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!
Celeste