That Time of Year

How is it already that time of year again?
Time to naturally set new goals.

I had some time to think
Driving across most of the western United States.

I've decided on a few things.

I want to be gracious,
More gracious than before.

This semester I will wake-up early,
This has never really been an issue for me
So maybe that's why I make it a goal every year.

This time around the alarm clock is goin for 6:45
In the a.m.
Set to run or yoga.

That's right, yoga
My sister says it will be good for me.
I might have to agree
And it's offered for free.
Yay College.

I will study a lot.
That's a good goal right there.

Oh and I will volunteer
Hopefully somewhere amazing.
Looking into some options now.

I'm horribly excited for this coming semester.
Here's to something going awesome.
Stick with me, k?
I may just need you by my side :)

Life lately

Today, I was thinking about this blog.  Mostly my neglect of said blog.  And I decided that's truly what it is, neglected.  But it's ok.  Because it's summer and I've been doing amazing things instead of blogging.  Like I hiked Timp and I work hard all day at Sports Camps and today I even read in the sun.  It was amazing.  I love life and am so lucky and blessed to be able to lead the life I do.  So blessed.  It's also the Olympics. Go World. 

Maybe someday I'll blog again.  We'll see.  Cheers :)

Internet Woes

The internet has been down at my apartment.

I feel like some sort of force is telling me
to go play outside,
to pick up a book,
to make a new friend,
to soak up the sun.

Its a good reminder of what Summer is really all about.

Also,
I love this.

Adventuring

check out these awesome books.

earlier this week i trekked the whole one and a half blocks to the provo library.
it was great
an adventure without even leaving utah county.

i took the long way to my study area
stopping to check out a book here and there
i ended up with quite a stack.

i learned that i love the world.
can i just go everywhere, 
right now?

that would be nice.
specifically india.
 i would love to go to inda.

i hear traveling is expensive,
maybe i'll just head back to the library.

Mother's Day

I want to tell you about my mom.  I want to tell you incredibly impressive she is.  How courageous she is.  How inspiring she is.  How her testimony is shared within our home and by the power of her example.  I want to tell you how much I love her.  How she makes me want to be a better person.  How if only I could spend every day with my mom I would have a better understanding of the world and a more motivated desire to be patient, kind and loving.  I want to tell you how my mom is my very best friend.  How she is an incredible listener and how she always knows just what to say.  I want to tell you how sometimes when I ask her about her day, I wonder how she is still standing.  I am often impressed with her drive to thrive in a foreign country.  Her motivation to carry on through those hard days, those hard weeks, and just those hard times. 

Sometimes I wish my mom could come to college with me.  Not so she could make amazing food for me or clean my apartment, although I am sure she would do both those things without ever once receiving enough thanks.  But so she could give me a hug every day before school.  So I could look up into the crowd during an intramural game and see her there in the stands cheering me on.  So that on those really hard days she would be there waiting and on those really great days she would be wanting to celebrate.

The amazing thing is this, that even miles away she still manages to be a force for good in my life.  Not a day goes by where I don't think of my mother.  I wonder what amazing adventure she is setting out on that day.  I wonder what she would do in a certain situation or I find myself bragging about her enduring qualities to an unsuspecting new friend.  That poor fool has no idea what they've gotten themselves into when they ask about my family.

I love my mom.  At the end of a phone conversation once I told my mom that I loved her most and she stopped and she said something a long the lines of, "Sarah, there is no way you love me most."  And we both paused.  She was very serious about this.  And I remember being stunned because I knew she was right.  My mother shows me and the rest of my family her love for us every day and it is incredible.  I hope some day I can love as she does but for now I am appreciative of her example and role in my life.

So Mom, thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  I love you and always will.  To the moon and the stars and the ocean and back, I love you.

life as of now

well, i have officially said good bye to winter
to winter school
winter clothes
winter drab
and winter blahs

its officially spring term
i greeted it with a trip to arizona
with some of the best friends around
we went to a basketball game
a baseball game
and swam in the pool

we visited the temple
and i even got to spend time with the grandparents
it was just great

now i'm back in provo
loving my new professors
loving my new classes
and loving the relaxed feel of it all

i moved
i am now in a new apartment
new roommates
new ward
new shower
the shower is much better here
i think i might like it here

loved it there
and so hard to give the old
a see you later of sorts
i think i will visit often

my birthday is soon
my wonderful sister took me out
to thai food and the jazz game
it was just wonderful fun

looking forward to the weekend
strange, it's already been a week
time flies

here's to more posts

Swimming Laps

I have officially begun swimming laps.  And by begun, I mean I have gone twice in the last three weeks and plan to go again this week.  Maybe not the most consistent effort to date... but there is effort there.  I actually really enjoy it.  It's still all very new to me, so each time I just work on getting a little better.  It's fun to have a new way to exercise, keeps things exciting.  Maybe someday I'll be like this rockstar.  You know, maybe.

Weekend!

I've decided General Conference weekend in Provo is basically a mini spring break.  Let me tell you all the much needed fun we were able to work into these last few days.

First, I got to pre-game the weekend with my wonderful sister.  She just got a new job in the beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee.  She's going to be awesome!  She took me to lunch at Olive Garden and it was of course, delicious!

Then, the weekend started.
We went to the park.  Everyday.  We're talking
baseball
frisbee
basketball
running
soaking up the sun
maybe too much sun
and barbequing

We ate lots of food.  Lots of food is actually a gross understatement.  We ate
omlettes
gluten-free crepes
potatoes
fresh fruit
super slush from sonic
hamburgers-hot-off-the-grill
lettuce wraps
gluten-free cookies
smoothies
gluten-free brownies
and its only six o'clock on Sunday

We watched Conference.  Lots of General Conference.

so much spiritual up-liftedness
all day
everyday
i even got to go to the Sunday morning session
live and in color
which included Music and the Spoken Word
amazing
breath taking
thank you for the tickets
testimony strengthened 


And like I said, it's only six o'clock on Sunday.  It has been quite the incredible weekend so far.  One that I believe was really quite needed.  We are all officially recharged and ready to hunker down for the last two weeks. 

Will we be laboring in the library?  Yes. Will we carefully navigate the dangerous world of group projects?  Yes.  Will we spend seemingly endless hours in tedious TA review sessions?  Yes. 

Bring it on BYU!  We are ready. 

The Art of Forgetting

Hmmm.... Found this article interesting.  Thoughts?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120315-mastering-the-art-of-forgetting/1

Oh oops.

Dear Friends, I have failed you.  And for that I apologize.  365 days of great?  More like 26 days of great.  But that can change right?  Maybe starting right now?

Phew.  Okay.  Thanks for understanding.  Here we go again.

Umm it is officially Spring here!  And you know what, I am just loving it!  Today on my run, which I wore a t-shirt AND shorts for (thank you very much!), I spotted a tree that looked a little green.  That's right, green!  It was blossoming!  Spring!  It is here and Summer is coming!  This tree made me really quite happy!  Hard evidence of the greatness nature has in store for us.

Here's to more blossoms... and maybe more blog posts!  Enjoy your day :)

Walking Home

Sometimes after a long day I just love the walk back to my apartment.  Today, was one of those days.  It was great. 

Sunday Drives

Today, I went for a Sunday drive with a few friends of mine.  We ended up in Provo Canyon and stopping at a frozen lake that was just beautiful.  Pictures to come :)

Things in General

 Well, so much for taking just the weekend off...  Life this week was quite enjoyable.  Home was wonderful-- I was able to enjoy some good home cooking, sleeping in, shopping with mom, movies, and more.  The airplane rides were uneventful and I was even able to navigate economy parking for the first time without any troubles!  Classes were good, tests were returned with satisfying scores and we are all officially half way through the semester.  Folks, we're gonna make it!

Mountains and

Cities filled with lights.  Two of my favorite things to fly over :)

Hiatus

Taking it a little break from the blog while I'm home.  Enjoy the long weekend!

A Felt Tip Pen

It was a pen like this!

I came across this old pen of mine the other day, one of those felt tip pens that people used to love.  I decided to use it to make a mountain of note cards for a class.  The mountain is complete, and you know what, I still love this pen.  Which is saying something since I literally just wrote with it for hours upon hours.  I'm not sure that making all those note cards was so fun, but using that pen was actually kind of rewarding!

Happiness

Thank you, Pinterest. 

Love

Today was strange for me because although I didn't have a significant other to share this beautiful day with, I was happy-- on Valentine's day, fancy that!  I loved seeing other people sharing in loviness and I loved that friends stopped by just to say hi and wish my roommates and I a good day.  I loved the stranger that came up and gave me a rose, just because.  And I loved being a guest player on my friend's inner tube water polo team, yes you read that correctly, inner tube water polo.  I loved that today, a lot of people stopped to remember those they love in their lives.  Girlfriend, boyfriend, brother, sister.... love to me is a lot more than just someone's hand to hold.  So today, I am grateful for love.  Grateful for my family.  And grateful for my friends.  Happy Valentine's day!

Early Release

Today, was one of those days when I really needed some extra time to study and get things done.  And you know what, I got just that!  After turning in our midterm our professor let us out ten minutes early!  It was the most wonderful surprise ever!  It was great.

Snow

Today, we were blessed with bucket loads of slushy goodness.  Some called it snow, and it was snow, but it was also slushy and wet.  I am happy that Utah got snow!  Weather wise we needed it.  I am also happy for the wonderful people who shoveled all the snow on campus.  Their hard work makes walking to Church so much more pleasant.  Thank you!

Lunch

Had lunch with an old friend today.  It was great.  And no, I did not have this salad.  I did enjoy some Chicken Enchilada Chilli and a BBQ Chicken Salad though.  They were scrumptious. 

Friday

Today, I got done with classes in the early afternoon and decided to come home and relax instead of doing homework.  It was an afternoon filled with contentment.  It was perfect. 

Midterms

Midterms are officially underway and you know what--it feels great!  I got to walk home from the testing center today with that satisfied feeling that really only comes after demonstrating the immense knowledge I have spent the semester to date accumulating.  And I get to have this wonderfully sore hand to remind me how much all my studying paid off!  I realize this may sound a little sarcastic, but I promise you-- its not.  Just a few more tests to go now, we can do this!

Ice Cream

I was having one of those days today, one where I just really needed some sugar.  The bad news is, I didn't have any.  I was carrying on my night, dreaming of finding some fun sized goodness or something gooey and baked.  I was sitting in my friend's apartment, finally at terms with the fact that I would have to go to bed sugarless when he turns to me and asks me if I would want some ice cream!  Me??  Ice cream??  I didn't hesitate to offer my thanks and willingly oblige.  After enjoying every last spoonful of its sweetness I returned to my apartment.  Pleasantly content.  Sweets and friends with surprises are just great!

Ice Hockey

For some reason or another I have managed to avoid ice hockey for sometime now.  Okay, that might be a little bit of an understatement.  I have managed to avoid it my entire life.  But that all changed today!  I decided to attend my friend's city league game! It wasn't the best game ever (11-2 . . . ouch!), but the players and puck were new enough to me that I managed to remain quite mesmerized most of the game. 

The game was good, but this movie and story are what makes ice hockey truly great for me.  Miracle.

Morning People

This semester I have class nice and early.  Some days its hard, but some days its actually nice.  Take today for example, I got to walk to school with two of my very good friends.  There's nothing like a few laughs shared between morning people in the morning! 

Oh Mr. Sun

Sunshine in February.  Need I say more?

Hansel and Gretel

Today, I was walking in the beautiful sunshine up on campus.  And I came across the most curious trail of Fruit Snacks.  There they were, lined up just so every foot or two.  And I couldn't help but think of the old Brothers Grimm tale of Hansel and Gretel.  I'd like to think that these fruit snack weren't dropped by some hungry, hard working, bustling student, but rather some delighted young adult leaving a trail to who knows where.  I for one think life is ten times more fun living it as a child.  Don't ya agree?

Men's Volleyball

Back in the land of the free and the green in Oregon, we didn't have this thing called Men's Volleyball.  Imagine my surprise when I came to BYU to find that it is quite the competitive sport-- way more than just Powder Tuff t-shirts and an excuse to stay after school.  It is an all out display of intense athletic physique and competition, and its become something of a passion of mine.  Watching those boys go out and give it their all is really quite the site to see.  It only helps a little that their ranked Number One in the Nation!  You know, they're just kinda good at what they do...

Good Friends

Once upon a time, my family lost lots of important data from our hard drive.  I was given a tip top secret mission to bring it back to The States to recover the information.  I mentioned this to a friend who is more than handy with computers, next thing I knew, he had stayed up all night recovering the data himself!  I bet you're thinking, "gee, what a great guy!"  but no, it gets better!  Today, he came with me to buy the new hard drive!  What a pal, right??  Great friends, are truly great!

Sorting

Today, we played this interesting game in class.  I'm sure some of you have heard of it, some of you may have even played it.  It's found on pbs.org (I know, you're already hooked!) and is called Sorting People.  Yes, the game is completely ethical and very thought provoking.  I'd encourage you all to give it a shot.  You can start playing right now through this link.  

If you're looking to expand your experience even farther give this podcast by This American Life a listen.  It's a golden one that has really got me thinking today.  And that's whats been great about today.  Today hasn't been a day of rainbows and unicorns, but it has offered me many opportunities to question the norms of our lives-- of our society.  Sometimes thinking hurts my head but I love it all the same.  It's great.

Space Cats

Today, a friend of mine shared this wonderful video with me.  I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to follow this great link to view its greatness.  That's right, just click here! 

Kevin Giddins

This is Mr. Giddins. Doesn't he look nice?

If I ever start my own business, remind me to have Kevin Giddins come and give my new employees a little pep talk.  He's going to talk to them about diversity.  It's what he talked to my Sociology 113 class today and its a lecture I think all would gain from.  He gave a lecture that left me wanting more-- wanting more of his knowledge, more of his energy, and more of his drive.  He encouraged our class to see things differently, be aware of principles, and understand paradigms.  He encouraged us to challenge everything and to strive for a world view.  In a list like that, his points sound like nothing, but friends-- they are so much more than nothing.  In fact, companies pay Mr.  Giddins thousands of dollars to come impart his knowledge with their companies.  And to think, he came to my class today.  How great is that?

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is one thing I love in life possibly more than anything else.  And that my friends, is chocolate.  A few friends of mine figured this out and today we made Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies!  I may have already eaten more than a few and enjoyed every bite of their deliciousness.  They are just great!

Board Games

Today, I enjoyed the company of a few friends on a "Clue Date".  We dressed in different colors, played Clue and then watched the wonderful movie based off the one and only mystery board game.  The Clue movie combines two of the greatest things ever: Hasbro and the 80's.  What more could one ever ask for?  It was truly a great night!

Here's a little clip from the movie, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui337e5D50E

Welcome

Welcome to 365 Days of Great! A new blog where I am committing to log on everyday and share some small fleeting piece of wonderfulness with you all!  I am quite excited to get started!  I'm excited to have an outlet to share funny videos, comings and goings, ridiculous stories, and frankly-- anything great!  Bookmark the URL, follow me, or do whatever you need to do so you remember to come back here!  Because friends, this is going to be awesome!