Quick post before I head to bed.
Well here I am in my new apartment! It's... uh. Interesting. My first impression... I walk in and the carpets are filthy, my roommates are from Chile and have been to the US for only 4 months or so... don't speak English very well. I go to the kitchen and there are PILES of dishes and bowls and plates full of food from the day before. I get everything into my room and sit down for a minute... a fly whizzes around my head. I sweep off the dust on the shelf above the desk. I notice an ant crawling on the desk. I smash it. Yup! That's about it! So I've basically resolved to stay in my own little corner of the apartment.
Another roommate moves in and I'm so excited that I have someone who I can speak English with! ...until I find out that he served his mission in South America. It's pretty funny! So this past week most conversations are right over my head. Apparently this was the latino party house before I got here so a bunch of latinos in the area come over frequently. They're all super nice and return missionaries! Now more then ever I wish I spoke spanish. It's been fun though. My roommate Alex is pretty cool. I've been getting to bed super early though (9-10pm) so that way I can get up at 5am for work. The roommates think I'm crazy, haha!
We had a freshman reunion yesterday and it was just fantastic! Weird to see everyone from freshman year. Most of the kids were great to see again and others... make me glad that Freshman year is over. Most importantly, I got to reconnect with Ashley! She's great. We're meeting up tomorrow for a little bit to study and talk. It'll be nice. I've kept a good study habit so far. I followed my schedule and stayed at the library for four hours after my last class. I love feeling on top of things. If I had even one more course though I don't know how I would do it. Even now I feel like I'm tight for time. I wonder if I could learn to study faster.
WELL I love it! Love working at the MTC love feeling a bit more independent, love going to class and learning, love feeling accomplished, love meeting new people, love having friends. LOVE BYU FOOTBALL!! WOO-HOO!! THIS THURSDAY!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Catch Up
If you don't have a good set habit of writing a journal it's so easy for time to pass and then you have to play catch up on all the great things that have happened since you last wrote!
A highlight from the week after my last post was Megan Gee's Sleeping Beauty musical. I went with Sarah and Marie and boy was I excited to go! She played Maleficent and she was AMAZING! It was fantastic. Tons of family was there and it ended up being a super important opportunity for me to talk with family. I saw Ryan for the first time in years and met his wife. We've decided to get an All Sports Pass together so I'll get to know them a lot better this football season. We couldn't find any other friends or cousins to join us but that's okay. I hear the seating isn't too strict anyway so I can go sit with new friends some of the games.
I've loved living with Grandpa and Grandma. They are just too sweet and are great examples. Grandpa never stops working and Grandma is a sweetheart that will never say anything negative about anyone. It's amazing to live with them! I've tried really hard to find things to help out with and the do them before I'm asked. It's fun to surprise them. A few of the things I've helped out with since I've been here are mowing the lawn, watering the flowers, cutting down weed-trees in the "forest" hill in the back, changed light bulbs, done dishes, and put together grandma's office chair...
The past few weeks I've been very focused on preparing for school. I want to do SO well with grades. I've gotten all my textbooks early and I've started working on different things. I've began recording my textbooks and putting them on my Ipod so I can study as I travel on my bike or during other down times when I can't use my hands (ex- meal time). We'll see if it's effective. It might not be worth the time and I tend to zone out in the middle of chapters. It's making me pretty anxious to actually start school. I have try outs for BYU Men's Chorus next week so I've also been preparing for that. I've always had a dream to be a part of it and I think I have a good shot at getting in. There are three total auditions which is kind of daunting. And check out these stats:
" The choir has performed at the ACDA conventions, and performs frequently to sold-out audiences. Over 400 men audition for the choir yearly, with between 75 to 150 of them chosen to join the choir."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
crazy!
I finally started working at the MTC this last week! It's so nice to be working. The job isn't quite what I was expecting. It's a lot of set ups and constant lifting. You're constantly on your feet and I get pretty tired by the end of it! I work from 6-10am which will be perfect for once school starts. I'll need to get to bed just past 9 every night if I'm to get enough sleep during the school year. I really want to become completely independent. It's a bit weird at work because everyone I work with is married and with a kid!
This week has also been Education Week and I got "kicked out" of my room for some awesome second girl cousins. They're great and it sure was a fun week. It was sad to see them leave this morning. We all really connected.
Last week Kristin left for the MTC! Kristin and Kate also took over my room down there. The first night they were here I got a warm welcome from them when I first came in and I'll never forget the way Kristin looked over and said, "Josh!" Made me feel really cared about. We stayed up that night talking until 1am! It was crazy but just so fun. I was lucky because I didn't have anything to wake up for that week.
Well things have sure gone by quick and it looks like I'll move into my apartment within the next few days. I'm excited but it sure is going to be a big change and a big step toward a new phase of life!
A highlight from the week after my last post was Megan Gee's Sleeping Beauty musical. I went with Sarah and Marie and boy was I excited to go! She played Maleficent and she was AMAZING! It was fantastic. Tons of family was there and it ended up being a super important opportunity for me to talk with family. I saw Ryan for the first time in years and met his wife. We've decided to get an All Sports Pass together so I'll get to know them a lot better this football season. We couldn't find any other friends or cousins to join us but that's okay. I hear the seating isn't too strict anyway so I can go sit with new friends some of the games.
I've loved living with Grandpa and Grandma. They are just too sweet and are great examples. Grandpa never stops working and Grandma is a sweetheart that will never say anything negative about anyone. It's amazing to live with them! I've tried really hard to find things to help out with and the do them before I'm asked. It's fun to surprise them. A few of the things I've helped out with since I've been here are mowing the lawn, watering the flowers, cutting down weed-trees in the "forest" hill in the back, changed light bulbs, done dishes, and put together grandma's office chair...
The past few weeks I've been very focused on preparing for school. I want to do SO well with grades. I've gotten all my textbooks early and I've started working on different things. I've began recording my textbooks and putting them on my Ipod so I can study as I travel on my bike or during other down times when I can't use my hands (ex- meal time). We'll see if it's effective. It might not be worth the time and I tend to zone out in the middle of chapters. It's making me pretty anxious to actually start school. I have try outs for BYU Men's Chorus next week so I've also been preparing for that. I've always had a dream to be a part of it and I think I have a good shot at getting in. There are three total auditions which is kind of daunting. And check out these stats:
" The choir has performed at the ACDA conventions, and performs frequently to sold-out audiences. Over 400 men audition for the choir yearly, with between 75 to 150 of them chosen to join the choir."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
crazy!
I finally started working at the MTC this last week! It's so nice to be working. The job isn't quite what I was expecting. It's a lot of set ups and constant lifting. You're constantly on your feet and I get pretty tired by the end of it! I work from 6-10am which will be perfect for once school starts. I'll need to get to bed just past 9 every night if I'm to get enough sleep during the school year. I really want to become completely independent. It's a bit weird at work because everyone I work with is married and with a kid!
This week has also been Education Week and I got "kicked out" of my room for some awesome second girl cousins. They're great and it sure was a fun week. It was sad to see them leave this morning. We all really connected.
Last week Kristin left for the MTC! Kristin and Kate also took over my room down there. The first night they were here I got a warm welcome from them when I first came in and I'll never forget the way Kristin looked over and said, "Josh!" Made me feel really cared about. We stayed up that night talking until 1am! It was crazy but just so fun. I was lucky because I didn't have anything to wake up for that week.
Well things have sure gone by quick and it looks like I'll move into my apartment within the next few days. I'm excited but it sure is going to be a big change and a big step toward a new phase of life!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Temple Thursday
I've only been here a week in Provo with Grandpa and Grandma and I've already missed out on writing about so much that has happened! Today started early at 5:30. It's Kaytlyn's "Temple Thursday" which we sort of coined in our letters to each other while I was on my mission. This was my first time to be a part of it and I absolutely loved it! It was still dark out and the sprinklers were going as I waited for her to pick me up. We then drove down the hill from the house. The sunrise was peaking over the mountains with the moon large and glowing and then there was the Temple all prettily lit. It was an incredible way to start off the day. This was my first time to ever perform the Temple ordinances and it was extremely special for me to do Kaytlyn's confirmations and then baptisms. I'll never forget it. You know a girl is special when she gets you to go to the Temple with her.
The rest of the day was pretty eventful. Read the Book of Mormon, then mowed the lawn. Rode the bike to Cambria's and did P90X yoga in her apartment. Oh boy, what a workout! Phew! It was pretty intense. We want to start the actual program but I don't know if we can make it. Went to campus together after that and I walked into a Test Preparation workshop I thought I would try out since I'm not working at the MTC yet and have about a month before school starts. It ended up being one of the best things I've decided to do! It offered great advice and I got to meet some new people. I was the only guy there which was kind of weird, but there's sort of a funny moment I had with a girl named Rebecca.
I got home and helped Grandpa make some grape juice from the grapes in the backyard. And now I'm just working on my list of things that I had planned to do. Sometimes the list is a bit overwhelming especially when I'm so tired from that workout and when I spend too much time talking on facebook and email!
The rest of the day was pretty eventful. Read the Book of Mormon, then mowed the lawn. Rode the bike to Cambria's and did P90X yoga in her apartment. Oh boy, what a workout! Phew! It was pretty intense. We want to start the actual program but I don't know if we can make it. Went to campus together after that and I walked into a Test Preparation workshop I thought I would try out since I'm not working at the MTC yet and have about a month before school starts. It ended up being one of the best things I've decided to do! It offered great advice and I got to meet some new people. I was the only guy there which was kind of weird, but there's sort of a funny moment I had with a girl named Rebecca.
I got home and helped Grandpa make some grape juice from the grapes in the backyard. And now I'm just working on my list of things that I had planned to do. Sometimes the list is a bit overwhelming especially when I'm so tired from that workout and when I spend too much time talking on facebook and email!
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