My first week at BYU

One week down.

I love it here! My first week was really fun and a little challenging. I'm pretty used to where all my classes are, but there is still a lot of campus that I haven't really gotten to know well yet. Classes really just jump right in here for summer term. We've already covered about 60 pages in Human Development and in Trigonometry we cover 2 sections a day. There is quite a bit of homework and reading, but I'm keeping up with it.

Human Development is a 2.5 hour block class, twice a week. It's really long, but it is super interesting. I guess we'll see if it stays that way. It's so different from high school here. My professors have all have doctorates in the fields they teach so I really know what they are talking about. They can teach from experience, rather than just reading a textbook to you.

My social dance class is really fun. I'm doing better than I thought I would be, and it's a good class to get to know more people in. Racquetball seems like it will be a pretty fun class, too.

So, I live down in Helaman Halls, and it's pretty crazy around here. It's mostly freshmen, and I know a lot of people from being in the same ward for church. Guys are always hanging around our lobby and my hall is kinda noisy during the afternoon. I will definitely be using the library to study a lot. I have a feeling that not much actually gets done around here.

Speaking of the library, it's HUGE! I was going there with my friends Spencer and Dan to work on our Human Development. We were in the elevator and we saw a little sign for a room that plays classical music, so we set off to look for it. We probably wandered around for like an hour before we asked someone for directions and found it. Once we were there our study session was very successful.

I have been so busy this week. It's kind of funny because all I really have planned from day to day is classes, but every waking minute of my day is filled with stuff to do before I know it. Sometimes I need to run to the bookstore to get something for a class, try to find a counselor to talk to about fall scheduling, or run back to my dorm to pick up something I forgot. Once you add eating and, of course, studying I barely have any time for myself. I spend most of my spare time hanging out with my friends here and getting to know them better. Then what's left after that is spent sleeping. :) My schedule just happens to keep me up on campus during lunch time almost everyday, so I've been having a little trouble remembering to and finding time to eat.

I am very proud of the fact that I have been getting up at 6 every morning to go for a run. A few of the guys or Sarah usually come with me, so I have more motivation to get out of bed. I don't want to just leave them waiting outside for me if I am sleeping, after all. Actually this morning only my friend Spencer showed up and I was so tired that we just ended up going for a walk. But at least I am getting up and exercising in the morning.

I guess that's about all for now. This week has been really, really good, but I miss all of you back home!

Road Trip!

My last week or so at home was pretty crazy. I did my best to balance spending time with friends and family, and getting my stuff all ready to go. Thank goodness for AnnaMarie coming up a day or two before we left to help me with everything! You are a live saver!

Jane was a good helper, too! :)

I spent a lot of good, quality time with my friends. We went four-wheeling, had bonfires at the beach, and just hung out and talked. Saturday (June 12th) Alan, Brian, Judi, and Chantel all came to see me off. It was really sweet of them!

Maria and I were the only ones brave enough to jump in Lake Superior. It was REALLY cold.
Maria, Me, Chantel, Andy, Brian when we got back.
Then the adventure began. We spent about 5 days driving out here, stopping to see the Badlands (where it rained), Mount Rushmore (Where it rained harder), a Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming, and Yellowstone. It was a fun family trip! In Gardiner, Montana Dad even sent Hikaru, Benjamin, Christy, and I on a saddle and paddle trip. We spent two hours horse-back riding through the mountains, then two hours white water rafting in the Yellowstone River. It was really awesome!

The Badlands before it started raining on us.

Kaite really loved when we got to say "Ahh, Shucks!" when people fell off their horse or bull. We got into Provo on Wednesday afternoon and did a little bit of school shopping that night. Then on Thursday Dad and I wandered around campus for a while. It was all pretty confusing then, but it's only been a week and I am starting to know where I am most of the time. :) It's a really big campus!

So, Friday morning I started my New Student Orientation, which was great. I met a lot of cool people, met my roommate Sarah (who is very cool), and got to learn a lot about BYU. I really feel like this is where I am supposed to be right now, and I am so happy to be here. I said all my goodbyes on Friday, too. I miss all you guys! Then I stayed in my dorm that night. Everyone left for home on Saturday morning, so I really didn't see anyone then. Except to pick up some things I forgot at the condo. Benjamin and Christy met me halfway. Saturday was also Orientation and then by Sunday I realized that I actually have to start studying and going to classes on Monday.

The rest of my pictures are stuck on my camera until I order a card reader, so I'll add them to the posts eventually.

Graduation: A Beginning

So, I finally did it. On May 30th I graduated from good old LLW. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time, and it finally came. Graduation wasn't sad for me at all. I know a lot of people see it as an ending, but I don't. I know that I will see my good friends again, and I guess I don't really care if I see my other classmates again. So, here are some pictures from the ceremony and my party.

Kurt, Hikaru, Alan, and me.

Christy and I. I'm really going to miss you, Christy!

AnnaMarie, Caroline, and my Dad did an awesome job with the party! Thanks so much guys! We had it catered by the Iron Nugget and AnnaMarie and Caroline made all the side dishes. The food was awesome, but I didn't have a whole lot of time to eat. :)

After my party was over, I went to Operation Graduation with the majority of my classmates. We were locked in the college from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. I wasn't sure how fun it was going to be, but I ended up having a really good time after we smuggled in some speakers. We ended up making a little dance party that most people thought they were too cool to join. In the end I think we had more fun than they did, so who cares what they think? I also joined in with the glow in the dark volleyball and then with the giant twister, which was intense. I failed at twister, and volleyball now that I think of it. I am okay at volleyball, but something with my depth perception is all off with glow sticks I think. It was fun though. I was so tired by the end of the night. I think everyone was ready to go home at three, but we had to wait until four. Then, just to make a lot of crabby people even crabbier, the back door of the bus broke and we waited for like 45 minutes for it to be fixed. I actually thought the whole thing was kind of funny, and it reminded me of why I wasn't sad to be graduating from my high school and leaving my class. But I am sad about leaving some people.

Oh, and I ended up winning something in the not-so-random drawing! I won a GPS for the car I don't have. :) Which really means that AnnaMarie and Tyler got a good deal on a GPS for the car they do own.

So, graduation is a beginning for me. I will be starting college at BYU in less than two weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting my roommate in person, starting classes, and making tons of new friends. I'm sad to be leaving my friends and family here, but I will come back home to visit on holidays and maybe for a summer or two. The time will go quickly, and I am excited to start my next big adventure: Freshman Year!