Evaluative Conclusion

When we were first assigned to create a blog, honestly, I was not to keen on the idea.  However, I am now grateful for the assignment.  I regret to admit that I am not very good at keeping a personal journal, but this blog has helped me to learn the importance of such.  I know that in the future I will be so glad that I created this blog, especially since I did not document my freshman year in writing.  Freshman year in college is such a cherished memory for seemingly everyone that has attended college.

The target audience for my blog is all of my friends and relatives back home.  My goal for this blog is to show those back home how different not only college is, but Utah as well.  I also want them to be able to see my personal growth through my blog posts.
I chose to make the background picture for my blog a picture of me and my two sisters- Megan and Marissa. I made my background a picture of us because I love my family more than life itself.  I am the person that I am today because of the influence of my family.  It is also very applicable to the main objective of my blog, because being surrounded by a new variety of people at college, and being thrust into the real world, has made me realize how much I truly appreciate my family.

My posts have helped me to reflect on the challenges of college, as well as celebrate in the joys that it has brought into my life as well.  

Dancing Our Lives Away

My friends and I LOVE dances!  I have been to too many dances to count since being at BYU.  We love to let loose and let go, and dancing allows that.  Dances here are great, because back home your eyes were exposed to dirty dancing everywhere you turned, but here everyone wants to be clean.  It's great!  We've gone to dances in parks, in buildings, in parking lots, at clubs in Salt Lake, etc.  We can't get enough of them!  At the beginning of the school year there were dances CONSTANTLY, but once everything seemed to become a little more tame the number of dances subsided.  That doesn't stop us though, we often have dances in each other's rooms, complete with music, glow sticks, and strobe lights. It's great!  When they say, "dancing the night away", well....it's literal for us.
Below are a few pictures before/during a few dances:

An Undiscovered Treasure

Brigham Young University is full of secret and undiscovered treasures around every corner.  I recently discovered a place that captivated me for hours on end.  One day I was walking in the Smith Field House with a few of my friends.  We came across a door that was pushed ajar, so we decided to check it out.  Upon entering, we couldn’t believe our eyes as we gazed upon a room of complete and utter fun.   We had stumbled upon the gymnastics training room.  The first thing that caught our attention were the giant foam pits that awaited us.  Next to the pits were trampolines that allowed for fancy dives and flips into the foam pit.  We spent so much time performing “acrobatic” tricks and then jumping into the cushy pit.  My friend and I were curious as to how deep the foam pit was, so we started digging.  We dug for what seemed like forever and still saw no sign of the bottom of the pit! In the room there were also balance beams, high poles, and other gymnastic equipment.  I’m not sure if the gymnastics room is always open to the public, but since the door was ajar it was open to us for the moment.  If someone wanted a crazy, fun, random adventure I would suggest to them to go to the gymnastics room and see for themselves how great this location is.

My Biggest Influences

1.  My mom and dad- I am blessed to have been born in such a choose family.  My mom and dad have helped to shape who I am today.  They've taught me right from wrong, and how to be a good person.  Most importantly, they've taught me how important a love for the Savior is.  I hope to marry a man half as great as my father some day.  My mom has been an example to me of what true charity really is.
2. Ms. Becker- my teacher and soccer coach.  She believed in me in soccer and in just two years of me playing, helped me to reach the title of "1st in state."  She is very independent and lives her life to the fullest.  She is extremely passionate about everything that I am passionate about, and some of my passions are probably because of her.  She is always in a good mood, and students are able to joke around with her, yet they greatly respect her and take her seriously at the same time.  I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my life.

my mom and dad

me and my dad

Ms. Becker (in the middle. Black shirt)

An Excellent Ward

Wards at BYU are very different from wards back home. Personally, I’ve always lived in a branch, never a ward.   One of the biggest differences is that everyone is the same age!  Obviously that makes sense because I am living in freshman housing and there are so many people here, wards are divided by housing location.  For that reason, a big difference that I’ve noticed is that there are NO babies which means that Sacrament meeting is dead silent.  You could literally hear a pin drop.  I’ve found that I actually found the occasional baby’s cry kind of comforting, just because that’s what I’m used to. 

The ward that I was placed into is SOOOO fun.  We have so much fun whenever we are together.  It’s like we are the party ward!  It does kind of stink though because (being immature freshman) our ward is incredibly coupled off.  If you turn your head either direction you’ll find someone in a relationship with someone else in our ward. 

It is completely understandable because there are so many wards to accommodate, but my ward starts so late.  I’ve never had church that started after nine and now my church starts at 1:30 pm.  As horrible as it may sound, I find myself sleeping-in until 12 because I have the ability to do so.  I don’t have anything to do, really, or anywhere to be.  So, once I get out of church it’s dinner time and the day’s basically older.  I’ve come to realize that I like an early church time rather than later, or I could just use self-control and get up earlier on my own

I honestly do wish that there were a few non-freshman in our ward, but that’s okay, for the next three school years there will be a variety of people.  I’m really thankful wards though.  I think that, at most schools, people get into sororities or frats because they want to be a part of something, or feel like they’re “family.”  Unfortunately, sororities and frats sometimes participate in illegal activities, but they are forced into that because it comes along with wanting to feel included.  I am so grateful for going to a school where I have a ward, I can’t imagine not having that sense of family and belonging that comes from being included in a ward.

Role of Wellness

Sometimes when thinking about the role of wellness in my BYU experience I think, what role?  Before coming to BYU I was extremely physically active and ran 3 miles each day, but ever since I’ve been to school that has changed.  I’m sure that the role of wellness will change after my Freshman year, but right now I’m trying to balance just plain getting used to college, school work, church callings, and social life.  Unfortunately, I put extraneous physical activity on the back burner. 

            When it comes to my diet, it has never been so off-balance in my life.  Right now, I eat in the Canon Center and other than the salad bar the options are fried, fried, more fried, and a side of icecream.  I wish we were able to just get a plate of vegetables if we wanted to, but we have to get an entire entrée to have what few bites of veggies they give us.  Also, (this is completely my fault) but I stay up very, very late and sleep in.  This causes me to miss breakfast, and sometimes I only have one meal a day.

            I am actually really looking forward to next year when I am able to make my own healthy foods and don’t have to temptation to eat plate fulls.  Also, I feel like life in general will settle down a little and I will have more time for physical activity.  I really appreciate that BYU has a workout facility for students.  I love to get together with my friends and take advantage of the full courts that are available to us in the RB and play various games with my buddies.  I feel it’s a great way to give students the opportunity to remain active.

BYU Club Options/The Beauty of Nature

BYUSA has a wide variety of clubs for students to join.  Many of the clubs seem random in nature, but they were started by BYU students so the students incorporate their passions with the clubs.  There are clubs for any type for seemingly any type of student, however, I could not find a club for one of my greatest passions.  Therefore, I would like to start an Outdoor Adventure Club.   There is already a Whitewater Kayaking Club, but I’d like to see an organization with a wider variety of outdoor activities.  If I started this club, some of the activities I would have the club be involved and associated with include: hiking, mountain trail running, kayaking (of any sort), canoeing, fishing, tubing, etc.  

 Sometimes it can be difficult for especially freshman students who don’t know many people yet to find people to enjoy their outdoor-loving activities with.  Our adventures could really help people get to know one another and bond.  The club would also try to focus on the beauty and blessing of nature.  I, for one, think that the elements of nature are the greatest testimony of Christ.  Everything works so cohesively, even down to the last flower peddle.  Maybe in the fall we would drive up to Sun dance and look at the amazing changing colors of the leaves.  This would help us have a greater appreciation for the blessing and beauty of nature that Heavenly Father bestowed upon us.  I think this club would present a great opportunity for nature lovers at BYU to get together and meet other students with their same passion.