- Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit -

I wanted to post Mates of States cover of 17 Pink Sugar Elephants on here, but I couldn't find the audio anywhere but in my CD player. [Yes, CD player. (:] The cover is sooo good! Look it up on iTunes.

It's really hard to go from eating mint oreos to eating normal oreos. It's kind of like losing a best friend and buying a fish as a replacement. It just not the same.

Before this year I'd never consistently trekked up and down old main hill and I'm bittersweet about having to do it now. Those stairs are hell. There's no other way to put it. But on the other hand, I really enjoy that side of campus, the view over the hill just East of the amphitheater is so wonderful. This morning while I was walking home from class everything was just so beautiful and perfect. I really love Logan.

I've made a new friend up here. He's a grad student, working on his masters and teaching English 1010. For the past two years, I've spent all my time around the same people. I've been so anti-social. Really. And why? For one, I'm intimidated by awesome people. For two, I only like being friends with awesome people. Therein lies the issue. HA. But I'm getting over it. Hence, my friendship with Matt.

My ward is full of really great people, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm also thankful that I could get work off for FHE on Mondays so I can spend time with my ward. [I've never been able to do that, my whole college career!]

I've been working really hard for the last few months to better myself. I've decided I want to do what it takes to be reflected on as a good, positive person. Along with my no longer downloading music, I've been trying to be a better friend. I want all my relationships to be good ones, and I'm really working on that. I'm learning to say sorry. I'm learning to be productive. I've been more interactive with the real world- [ I have only pulled out my ear-buds once this whole semester!] I've decided to sacrifice my need to be a ridiculous person in able to become closer to the church and become what I'm here to be. I've been semi-diligently reading the scriptures and leaning on Heavenly Father for help. And I've been going to dance parties whenever I can- [the world would be a better place if everybody went to dance parties.]

To friends and acquaintances I've ever hurt,

I've been a vibrant music snob, a vibrant politics snob, just a vibrant snob in general. I've been negative and judgemental. I've been sarcastic. Cynical. I've made others and myself unhappy. I hope you can forgive me for all of that. I've come to the realization that we're all just dirty humans, trying to learn and do our best.

Lets go to lunch,
Mandy

- We Have A Really Good Looking Ward.. -

I really love being in a young single adult ward. Really. It's so nice to be able to take the sacrament in silence and not hear screaming babies the whole time. Testimony meeting is usually really great too [since we're all young, we don't the regulars who get up and talk about their children] though we do still have the occasional awkward and/or shocking, but still hilarious, comment.

Today's examples:

1. Girl ends her testimony with "We have a really good looking ward, and I'm really grateful for that." HA. Sho funny.

2. Guy gets up and bears his testimony on the priesthood. Really great, right? The story relating had to do with him giving his good friend a blessing, reason being that she had to get immediate surgery around her "bum area" and was waddling around but needed to be better by her marathon that weekend. .. . ..He said "bum area". TMI, man! On a scale of 1-10, uncomfortable level was around 14.

- Christmas Reflections -

Christmas's origin was put a little differently for me this year than it has been in years past. Instead of reading out of the scriptures, Mom read to us excerpts from a unique story of Mary and Joseph. Like I said, the story was not read from the scriptures, but from a book. A book whose author- using her incredible knowledge of both history and scripture- wrote a detailed simulation of what Mary and Josephs life, love, and travel to Bethlehem could have been like.

Even though it was the view of one lady, of how their lives could have been, it was so interesting and made me think about things I never have. Like- the love Joseph and Mary shared for each other. The feelings of inadequacy Joseph must have felt- not being able to find a midwife to assist his dear sweet wife with childbirth, and not being able to find a place for that same dear sweet wife and soon-to-be newborn child to rest in peace and comfort. The feelings of Mary when her mother didn't believe she was the virgin meant to bear Christ, the son of God, and the feelings of Mary's mother when she realized she had been wrong, but Mary was gone to Bethlehem, and too far away to ask forgiveness.

It's impossible for me to fathom the amount of purity and faith Mary and Joseph must have had in order to be and feel worthy enough to overcome their hardships and receive the blessing of bringing into this world the greatest gift ever given- Jesus Christ, the Savior of all the world.

I stand all amazed.

I love Christmas. I get so caught up in the world and in my own life that far too often I forget to think about and be grateful for Christ. I'm so thankful we have a season meant specifically for the remembrance and celebration of Him. And I'm also thankful for Mary and Joseph, the young couple who stayed strong, faithful, worthy and pure enough to receive him.

- Couldn't Be More Happy -

It has been a first-class weekend. No doubt.

I love talks about Christ.

I love Christmas.
I love Christmas lights.
I love snow.

I love Sufjan Stevens.

I love a clean apartment.
I love keeping the tv off.
I love quiet.

I love Christmas break.

- Vintage People -

It's the official end of my first week back. Or official beginning of my second week.. not really sure which.

I didn't sell anything for the whole six days I've been here. :( so bummer.

Church was quite enjoyable today. I love fast and testimony meetings. They are the BEST.

After church we ate at the 'break the fast' dealio they had at the church, then we had dinner thirty minutes later at a really really nice couples house that I met last week while going door to door. Ha. So delicious! Sometimes I think food is the only reason I survive out here. . ... LOL.

MEGAN AND I JUST REGISTERED FOR WATER AEROBICS. YA! I CANT WAIT.

- The Con By Tegan & Sara -

I listened in,
Yes, I'm guilty of this, you should know this.
I broke down and wrote you back,
Before you had a chance to.
Forget forgotten, I am moving past this,
Giving notice.
I have to go,
Yes, I know that feeling, know you're leaving.

Spelled out your name and list the reasons.
Faint of heart, don't call me back.
I imagine you and I was distant, not existent.
I followed suit and laid out on my back,
Imagine that.
A million hours left to think of you and think of that.

Calm down, I'm calling you to say,
I'm capsized, staring on the edge of safe.
Calm down, I'm calling back to say,
I'm home now and coming around.
Nobody likes to,
But I really like to cry.
Nobody likes me,
Maybe if I cry.

Encircle me,
I need to be taken down.
Encircle me,
I need to be taken down.


I have another assignment at church, I don't think it's even a calling. It's just a task. Every Sunday, I'm supposed attend a genealogy class instead of go to Sunday school. Since yesterday I went to a farewell and I wasn't able to go to the class, today I had an appointment so I could catch up with the class. Weird.

At the appointment, I got assigned a lot of genealogy to do and learned a lot about the PAF genealogy program. Too bad I have a mac and the program won't run on it. And too bad there is a singular genealogy program that runs on a mac and it's ultra pricey. And too bad my mac is having problems anyways- without even having to do genealogy. I just wonder how I am going to do this..

Previous to my genealogy makeup class, I went to the tsc and spent a lot of time there, just thinking about things. While there, I observed the people around me and I experienced the presence of a man exactly like the main character on A Beautiful Mind.

He could have been a professor, but he could have been a student. He wore a blue collared shirt with a rich green sweater over the top. On the table at which he worked, there was a side bag- not like a briefcase, more foreign and ragged looking. He had papers spread all over and he had his hand on his forehead (which was close down by his books). He was older and looked deep into his work. He frequently sent out quick whispers while dodging back and forth between his books. He looked like he was on the edge of a mathematical break through. I sat next to him/ two tables away, for a long time and when I left, he remained..... and he's probably still there. Someone should probably go and ask him when the last time he ate was.