Post-finals Getaway

 Last Wednesday I finished my last semester as a full-time BYU 

student! I am practically done with all of my under-grad coursework. It felt so wonderful to finish my last final, knowing that I only have one elective left! I will finish that elective next Fall!! So, to kick-off the weekend, I took off on a road trip with my friend Brittany. We drove to Las Vegas, where were able to spend a fun evening doing all those Mormon Vegas activities :) (and it broke up our 10 hour drive to Los Angeles) This trip was quick, but well worth it! Vegas with Britt, Wedding in CA. and a reunion with Leigh...couldn't have been better!

We had a fun drive down there! We were determined to capture each state sign...unfortunately we missed the sign for Las Vegas AND Nevada. We were probably just too busy jamming to Justin Beiber or something...

 

Our number one destination on our rendezvous in Vegas was the M&M factory! Since those are my initials, it was a must-see.

I also crashed a wedding. Christine, you're up next and I hope to crash yours too!!

I am so thrilled that this beautiful lady caught the bouquet :) 

I was able to spend part of the weekend in L.A. with one of my best friends, Leigh Robins! We met a few years ago at Lanai when she and Annie were room-mates. Annie and I have lived together for the past year, and we all were able to have a fabulous reunion!  

Sending off the troops....

I have the opportunity to work at the Missionary Training Center and teach Italian. These kids are amaaaaazinngggg. They give up so much and dedicate their entire lives to God, for 2 years. I've spent the last 9 weeks working with these missionaries, and I have come to love them so much!!!!! They left on Tuesday and will be going to Milan and Rome. They are going to be amazing out there!!! 

Love these Sorelle!!!!!! See you in 18 months!!!!!!!

The Immortality of the Soul (lesson highlights)

In my church, I have the opportunity to teach a class of Women once a month. These women are all part of an organization called The Relief Society. I love this about my church, that members are extremely involved, and it is done completely and 100% as a service. No one in our ministry is paid. So anyways, today I had the chance to teach this group of about 40 women. The lesson was entitled "The Immortality of the Soul." I really like preparing for these lessons because I feel like I learn so much as I study, and then when I teach I feel like I learn 10X more from the comments that are made!
I learned a lot about how important it is to keep an eternal perspective. It is so easy to get caught up in things that don't really matter. Here are a few of my favorite points from the lesson:

• Today is the beginning of eternal happiness or eternal disappointment for you
• I have no more doubt about eternal life and the immortality of the soul than I have that the sun shines at midday
• ...we are living in eternity today as much as we ever will live in eternity"
• ...if we take advantage of our privileges here, this is but the stepping stone to greater and more desirable conditions
• We believe that we are sowing the seed today of a harvest that we will reap when we go from here. Eternal life is to us the sum of pre-existence, present existence, and the continuation of life in immortality.
• Being created in the image of God, we believe that it is not improper, that it is not unrighteous, for us to hope that we may be permitted to partake of the attributes of deity and, and if we are faithful to become like unto God, for as we receive of and obey the natural laws of our Father that govern this life, we become more like Him; and as we take advantage of the opportunities placed within our reach, we prepare to receive greater opportunities in this life and in the life that is to come
• We have this time on earth not to prepare to die but to prepare to live again
• When we realize that death os only one of the steps that the children of God shall take throughout eternity, and that it is according to his plan, it robs death of its sting and brings us face to face with the reality of eternal life

I'm so happy that I was able to learn so much this week as I prepared for this lesson! It really helped me to re-focus on just making sure that I am staying consistent at the small things that I do each day. Those are the things that will determine the person that I am becoming! It also just gives me a lot of comfort to know that we will see our loved ones again, because God has provided a way for our families to be re-united after death! I love Sundays!! 

Rules for Single Mingling at the gym

Alright, so here it is. I have been a gym person ever since I graduated from High school and was no longer involved in rigorous sports conditioning pretty much year round. I am constantly amused at all of the college co-ed interactions that go down within the sweaty walls of 24 hour fitness. Thankfully I have never witnessed what it's like at Golds Gym ( I hear it's much worse....). I have come up with a few theories of the Do's and Don'ts for how to interact with the opposite sex at the gym.


Personally I go to the gym to get a good workout. I don't go to socialize, pick up on guys with nice bods, or simply chit-chat with the person on the treadmill next to me. That being said, let me tell you about a little experience I had just last night at the gym. So I had just finished my run, and I was doing abs with a medicine ball.  This guy approaches me and starts talking to me. I had my I-pod on, and was minding my own business in the corner... The "conversation"went as follows: (mind you that I was so confused the whole time, and taken off guard, that all of the "uhhhhmmmmms" that I have included, are actually really how I responded hahaha). 

bro: you wanna like..do abs? We could throw that medicine ball your using to each other.

me: uhmmmmmmmm

bro:Yea, well it's like, I usually do that too, and my buddy who I always do abs with isn't here.

me: uhhhhhmmmmmm. We couuuuuld.  I don't know....

bro: Oh ok ok ok. soooo where are you from?

me: Denver

bro: Oh cool. I lived there for like 4 years. I'm from Hawaii. I'm an actor/model.

So you sure you don't wanna do abs?

me: Uhhhhhh, yea I think so.

bro: Yea but actually, instead of doing abs we could just go on a date. Would you wanna just not do abs and go on a date with me?

me: Uhhhhhhhhhhhh.

bro: Ya know what it's ok. Just don't answer. Don't answer.. I'm leaving in 9 days. And, wait....so are you saying you don't recognize me? Wow. Are you not into movies?

me: Uhmmmmm no, not really.

bro: Ok, yea, I'm going back to LA in 9 days so it wouldn't even be worth it. But seriously you don't recognize me??

me: Uhhhhhh, should I recognize you? I'm confused.

bro: Ya probably. Well, it was nice meeting you! Have fun doing abs!

I.AM.NOT.KIDDING. This ^^ really happened. Redflagcity!!!!!! WOW. Alright so bless his soul for being blessed with such a great ego and such high self-esteem, but really broseph? You need to take a few pointers from Askmen.com or something. I have put together a few do's and don'ts if you so choose to go for someone you "meet" at the gym. Like I already established, my purpose in going to the gym is strictly to get fit and get in some good exercise. So here you go... 

1. NEVER ask a girl out the first time you see her 

     You WILL see her again, so don't rush it. If you do, you will ruin any chance of getting to know her.

2. Just smile for a few weeks...Don't smother her when you're both sweaty and clearly scantily clad. You go all out and we assume you are looking at the scantily clad bits and not our “inner beauty.” Dropping a quick line that might work at a party will not work at the gym because we feel more vulnerable.

3. Wait for a normal opportunity to strike up a conversation. 

 Maybe she can't get the seat on the machine to move. There you go. You are now cleared to move in      and make a very gentleman-like gesture of helping her. If that somehow leads to a conversation, great. 

Don’t grunt. Some guys like to grunt or moan when lifting heavy weight. Don’t do this trying to get her attention. Doing this will just get you a weird look, rather than an admiration look from her. Don’t spread your both arms wide unnecessarily showing how “huge” or muscular you are.  Don’t try to impress her with the so called Imaginary Lat Syndrome. (hahah please read this, this is a hilarious post!!) 

Don't wipe your brow with the bottom of your shirt as if that is the ONLY possible way to keep sweat from dripping into your eyes.  We all know this is you just wanting to show your 6pack and/or V. 

beautiful life

SLEEP.

The sun beckons me with it's rays
 gently kisses my eyelids good morning

Beams of illustrious, glorious sunlight

BRIGHT.

And so it begins
 Unmarred, pristine, new

My feet correspond in harmony
Clean, brisk air caresses my warm, bare skin.

Overcome by a rush of life

LIVE.

Seize today
 Reach higher.

  Single tiles mold a future masterpiece.

ENDLESS.

Today is REAL.

I inhale each unfathomable, endless opportunity of tomorrow 

TODAY.

Friend Zone Emergence.

I'm re-writing this post, because for some reason after I published it, it got deleted.... Anyways.
So I overheard a guy the other day complaining to his friend...The convo went something along these lines:
"Dude, I'm so bummed. I want this girl, and I don't know how to win her over!!! I even like... tweeted at her last night!"
This fragment of a conversation I overheard, triggered in my mind a few thoughts...Alright, lets just assume that this guy was already friends with this girl. Great starting point! However, was this a legitimate attempt at emerging from the friend zone? First of all, liking your hott friends' pic on Facebook, or commenting on her instagram pic, is NOT a way of distinguishing her from ANY of your other 800 hott Facebook friends...Was this guy for real when he said that he couldn't figure out how to win this girl over, when he had so "boldly" tweeted at her?

There is much talk lately of the "friend zone." That once a guy is in, that's it. Dunzo. He doesn't stand a chance with this girl. Me might even say that she's "out of his league." I present a female perspective in this blog post, regarding the friend zone. This is indeed a complex that many men suffer from. It's a false mindset that needs to be set straight, immediately. In the mean time, a stress accumulates in these "wanting more friends"---the unspoken transition that both secretly desire, is being swept under the rug!!!

How many of us would love to end up dating someone who at the end of the day is their best friend? Sign me up! Personality is everything! (note. I'm not at all excluding the absolutely essential element of physical attraction that has to be there...) We spend time with our friends, because they are the ones who know us. They make us feel good, we like to be around them. We have fun with them....We're friennnnnds.

This false idea that you can never get out of the friend zone roots from a single problem. Guys assume that girls don't want to take their friendship to the next level. They're somehow "too deep" into the FZ, that they have reached some "point of no return"...rubbish. The issue is that while most guys sit and hate their lives because they're some hott girls' bestie, she is secretly loving the idea of him one day asking her out. It's just that most normal girls, would never put themselves out there like that and initiate that sort of a move....

Boys, as a female I urge you: take the plunge into the seemingly icy water! You may emerge with a pleasant little rendezvous onto the other side of the couch. Whereas before, you just sat as the "Mr. right-friend"who would do anything for her, but were forced to sit on the other side of the couch....now, you've got benefits.

I will speak for the majority. MOST girls would love to date those boys they are such good friends with. The ones who adore the ground they walk on. The guy who follows her around in-between classes, offers to take her home from class, and offers his ear when she is needs advice because another guy is treating her like crap. The problem is not that girls don't want the nice boy. The problem is the nice boys think the girls don't want them! THIS, is the problem.

From personal experience I have experienced the friend zone shift, and it was probably the best relationship I've ever had. Why? It was real. Founded on something valid. A friendship!! Not to say that 1st dates I go on are always invaluable...it's just not the same.  I meet someone in line at Subway, a boy leaves a mysterious name and digits on a note hidden on my car, I give my number to some tool-bag I meet at an Arlington dessert party....whatever the case may be...nothing compares to being able to observe someone from an outside,  "non-date" setting, and then determine that they are someone you would genuinely be interested in. You see those people in your pool of friends. First dates with complete strangers are just an extended game of 50 questions, which in the end leaves you basically where you started.

I am a full-fledged supporter of the friend zone emergence. FZE. So worth it. Ya, it's definitely unfortunate when you make the switch and things don't end up working out. But in all honesty, how often would you have hung out with that person after you ended up meeting that one that sweeps you off your feet anyways? Yea. It's time that someone spoke about this garbage of never "being able" to leave the friend zone.

legendary presentation....

So this week I believe that I may have surpassed my previous "most embarrassing moment". Well actually, I DID experience my newest "most embarrassing moment" Aren't you excited? I always love to hear about when other people are publicly humiliated haha but perhaps it's only because it makes me feel a bit more at ease with my what feels like constant public displays of shame... This actually wasn't as much embarrassing, as it was hilarious. More like, it was a bit uncomfortable for the majority of my BYU colleagues....
So as part of an assignment for my Literacy in TESOL(teaching English to speakers of other languages f.y.i.) class, we had to present a website to our professor and fellow collegues. Pretty much we had to give them an overview of the website, share our favorite features of the website, and take them on a brief virtual tour, showing the most useful tools... etc. So here I am, going along just as "planned", clicking on random sections such as reading, grammar, vocabulary, and showing the class the different parts (no pun intended....you'll get it in a few seconds...)of the website. Me: "Oh here we go, lets test out the bi-lingual section. This is cool, it allows you to test your knowledge in several languages. Hey! (I point to a boy in the class) here is a section on English-Finnish, lets test it out with the skills of our friend! ( I knew he had served a mission in Finland)" I then click on a Quiz in the vocab section. The "Body Parts" Vocab section. The first word appears..."Abdomen." Normal. The guy chooses the Finnish word for abdomen, I select, boom, done. We go on our way. Next word. I kid you not. Here I am, totally winging this website thing, and the next "Vocab" word that pops up? NIPPLE. Yes. That's right. N-I-P-P-L-E. I completely lost it and had no idea how to continue from that point! HAHAHAHA! I was just laughing/trying to gain composure to finish! hahahaha I quickly summed up. "Well, that is basically the website, and we cannot argue that this is indeed a word..." Luckily the Finland kid was completely mortified and didn't even crack a smile ;) Being a class of about 50 BYU students, I would say about 1/2 reacted the way I did. Laughed! Is it not funny that the word nipple came up?? ..and the reactions of the other 1/2, you might ask?? Well frankly they were put-out and rendered speechless. This made the whole situation that much more hilarious! I claim this now as one of my legendary moments at BYU. Really though, what other possible way could I have possibly ended my presentation and left my professor utterly speechless? I make it through 99% of my presentation, and just as I'm summing up, the word NIPPLE pops up on the big screen!  Truly an unsuitable word for a BYU classroom, and most untimely too ;) Maybe this story will come in handy when I have teenagers that need further chats regarding the birds and the bees or something...?