The Start of Something New

Events that have happened in the last couple of months:

• I defied death while hiking Bridal Veil Falls. (Seriously though. Bridal Veil Falls is considered a nice leisurely hike...if you go the right way. We ended up rock climbing our way up and down the mountain. My roommate Alex slipped and nearly fell off a cliff. We had to make our way down a steep area of loose rock. I'm happy to say, however, that we all survived.)

• I finished my Capstone class! I wrote a 23 page paper and got an A- on it. Happiness!
• I graduated from BYU! When I walked across the stage they announced that I graduated in Political Science but oh well! My diploma will say that I earned a Bachelor's Degree in History.
• I took a trip to California after graduation! Lisa was an excellent hostess down in San Diego and also took me to California Adventure and Disneyland. It was a blast!
• I went back home and spent some time with my family. I also got new contacts! After wearing glasses for three months, I'm so happy to be wearing contacts again.
• I got back to Provo and moved into my new apartment. I have my own room and I love it!
  
• I went kayaking down the Provo River this past Saturday. I wish I could have gotten some pictures but I didn't want to risk having a phone or a camera with me on the kayak. It was a lot of fun, so much so that the fact that my legs got fried doesn't really seem to matter.
• Now that I'm graduated, the job search begins. I don't know exactly what I want to do with my life yet so I'll hopefully be getting a job that will hold me over until I do figure that out.

That's my life right now.

1 Nephi 13

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
35 For, behold saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto they seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.

I'm sitting here in my room listening to the people camped out all along University Avenue for the Fourth of July parade tomorrow. I've been reflecting on the American Revolution a great deal lately, not just because it's my favorite thing to study and not even because of all the celebrating that I hear going on outside. In my major, I have the privilege of studying our nation's history in great depth and it has been moving and inspiring to me to read the words of many of the great men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can have what we have today. The Founding Fathers were inspired men. Just as the scriptures say, "the power of the Lord was with them" and they were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of bringing colonists from thirteen very different colonies together to defeat the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Because of the determination and diligence of those men and women during the Revolutionary War, we truly live in a "land of promise," a land full of great abundance and beauty.
But even more important than the acquisition of beautiful and productive land was the establishment of an American ideology. I think a speech given in the movie Gettysburg by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain expresses it best: "No man should bow, no man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here you can be something. Here is the place to build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value, you and me." America was established to honor the value of the individual, to give its citizens the freedoms they believed God would want them to have. Because of this, we have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc. It was this freedom established in the United States that allowed for one of the most important events in the world to occur: the restoration of the gospel. Without freedom of religion, the religious revivals that prompted Joseph Smith to ask what church to join would never have existed and we would not have the Church and the doctrines taught there in our lives today. The American Revolution was an absolutely vital step in bringing about God's plan for His children.

I liked a quote I heard today that stated that Satan knows how destructive a weak America would be to God's plan and to the building up of God's kingdom. As Americans, we have a responsibility to build this nation up to its greatest potential, to never lose sight of what is truly important, and to honor the sacrifices of those that have come before us by staying true to our core principles and values. In the midst of all the fireworks, barbecues, and celebrations this Fourth of July, remember the real significance of the holiday and give thanks for all the freedoms we enjoy that so many others do not.

Sorry!

Hello again! When I called home today, Dad mentioned that I hadn't updated my blog recently and, sure enough, it has been over two months since I posted last. So...I guess I'll update you on what has been going on in the last two months.

• I moved into a new apartment within the same apartment complex. They are renovating the W building so I switched to the next building over. This is the first time since Freshmen year that I've had completely random roommates (although, I knew four of them before because they were in my ward last semester) and it has worked out just fine. It's a fun apartment of girls.
  
• I got my first B in a History class. (Dagnabbit!) Winter Semester 2011 = hardest semester of all time.
• I turned 22. For some reason, being 22 feels like it's so much older than being 21. The guys my age are back from their missions and the guys that are a year younger than me are coming back now. I'm one of the oldest girls in my Relief Society. I'm feeling old again (I know my older siblings are groaning as they read this but I feel that way anyway).

Other than that, nothing really momentous has happened. I'm taking a Utah History class right now and trying to finish up my U.S. History since 1877 independent study class. I'm really enjoying Spring Term! I haven't had this many friends since my freshmen year of college. But there are a lot of uncertainties in my life at the moment, too. I don't really know what I want to do after college. I know I'll be working but I don't know where yet (somewhere in Provo as I've already bought a contract for the fall here.) It's exciting to be almost done (I graduate in August!) but a little scary at the same time. Life is tough but good.

That's my update! Hopefully, it won't be two months before I write again.

Thank you, Armed Forces!

From the very beginnings of this country, there have been men and women willing to put their lives on the line so the rest of us could have free and safe lives. I just wanted to pay a small tribute to those fighting overseas, those who protect our borders, and those who fight crime within the United States so that we don't have to confront it everyday of our lives. Patriotism lives on! Thank you!

I'm a Californian

BYU is an interesting place in that there are people from all over the country (all over the world for that matter) that attend here. However, with all this "diversity" some tensions tend to arise as people criticize where others are from or impose stereotypes on people based on where they are from. As a Californian at BYU, I experience this all the time. Over the past four years, I have heard so many jabs about California and Californians that are somewhat true but mostly they are just plain ridiculous and mean-spirited. I'll admit that I used to have some preconceived notions of people based on where they are from, but I have been around long enough to know that most people don't fit into stereotypes and, therefore, should not be judged based on the state in which they grew up.

Some, however, have yet to figure this out. Just today, I heard a guy in my ward say that he hates Californians and that we are all a bunch of liberal, materialistic, Communist beach bums who don't have a clue. Of course, my California pride came out and I had to say something. The conversation went something like this:

(Let me preface this by saying that I have known many Idahoans and they are all great people. My grandparents are from there. My dad was born there. I've had four amazing roommates who are from there. Idaho just happened to be where this boy was from.)

Me: Now, where are you from again?
Him: Idaho.
Me: Ah, so do you want me to judge you by the Idaho stereotype just like you are judging me by the California stereotype?
Him: What's the Idaho stereotype?
Me: Self-righteous, potato-farming bigots. I guess you're lucky I don't buy into stereotypes.

Maybe that was a little harsh but I felt he needed to come to grips with something. You can't judge an entire group of people based on a very vocal minority within that group. You can't judge an entire state by the actions of one or two cities within that state. You can't impose stereotypes on any group because most people don't fit within those parameters. And how would you feel if someone criticized the place you grew up all the time?

Why does this bug me so much? Well, I pretty much defy every stereotype about California known to man. I've never bleached my hair (I haven't even dyed my hair for that matter). I don't hang out at the beach all day. I am very conservative politically. I do not worship or really seek after material items. I really don't like shopping all that much (although I enjoy a new shirt, new jeans, a comfortable bed, and hard-back books as much as the next person). I think Communism is a REALLY BAD idea. I am the biggest fan of America's Founding Fathers and the Constitution you will ever meet.

Yes, there are crazy people in California but there are crazy people everywhere. Earthquakes occur often in California but natural disasters and man-made disasters happen everywhere. There are advantages and disadvantages no matter where you live.

I was born and raised in California in a suburb of San Francisco. No, it's not perfect by any means and I can't say that I enjoyed being with everyone I came in contact with. But I am a Californian and I am proud of it.

Recent Happenings

A lot of fun things have happened in the last week. My roommate Jennifer decided that we all needed a break from Provo for a night so she suggested that a group of us go up to Park City during the Sundance Film Festival. Six of us girls squeezed into a car and drove up to Park City to spot some celebrities. We didn't end up seeing anyone but it was still a lot of fun.

Jen and I before we left.

There was a really interesting cowboy shop that had tons of cowboy boots for sale. Each pair cost $2500. No one made any purchases there :)

We stopped into Mary Janes and Hannah found a pair of baby shoes that brought back memories of a nickname people used to call me. I don't think I'll ever live that one down.

We ate dinner at a pizza place and then headed back up the street to head home. However, we spotted a store that we all had to go into. It had some really cute clothes. If it hadn't been so expensive I probably would have three new shirts and a couple of cute new coats.

The next day, my brother Kiel was in town so he and his friend picked me up and we headed to Saratoga Springs to see my newest niece! Erica Allison Brown is absolutely adorable! She was four days old when this picture was taken.

Yesterday, February 4th, was my roommate Jennifer's birthday (and my sister, Shelley's!). We all went to Olive Garden and had a wonderful time chatting and eating delicious morsels of pasta and breadsticks. We then came back to our appointment and lots of people came over for cake and ice cream. Jen felt very loved :)

These are some of the girls that came to Olive Garden with us. A few more showed up a little later.

My roommate, Rhiannon, and I.

These three amazing girls, Rachel, Jennifer (the birthday girl), and Kristin, are also my roommates.

Our waiters were very kind to us so we decided to take a picture with them after we ate our meal.

Despite the tremendous work load that school inevitably brings, it has been a really fun week and hopefully I can continue to do well in school and have fun at the same time. It's a difficult but possible balance.

Realizations

• Things don't always turn out the way you plan.

• Some things take much longer to occur than you want them to.

• If you want something to happen, effort is required.

• If you find yourself getting prideful, something will happen that will make you humble again.

• You can't control your circumstances but you can control your reactions to your circumstances.

• No matter how much you want things to stay the same, things will change. No matter how much you want things to change, things will stay the same.

The month of January has been a month of realization for me. Deep down I always knew these things were true but I guess I've never had them verified as much as I have this month. Life has its positives and negatives but the one thing that positives and negatives have in common is that they are designed to make you stronger. You learn to overcome the bad and you learn to appreciate the good. I don't know what the future holds but I do know that I can choose to follow Elder Wirthlin's counsel: "Come what may and love it."