“Knowledge is ancient error reflecting on its youth"

Finals are quickly approaching and my brain is melting.  

Friday is the day when I don't have any classes and I use the time to work on my online class, but also to relax and prepare for the weekend. Today, however, I got up early, filled my backpack with books and pencils, and headed to the library.  I wrote papers, took a quiz, and worked on several projects. I feel incredibly productive today.  Seriously, I'm getting things done and it feels so good.

When I consider where I was last December, I've come a long way.  This past year has been such a tumultuous one, with huge ups and huge downs.  I've said it before, but this year has been my year.

Highlights

• Starbucks.  This place was such a fun job.  When I went home for Thanksgiving, I had lunch with my manager and visited with a couple of my former coworkers.  I forgot how much fun I had at that job.  I made life long friends, met some celebrities, and learned the art of coffee making.  I think steaming milk to perfection will always be a part of my nature now.  

Cleaning the ice bin

• Erik.  This guy is one of my best friends ever.  Having him home, living only two blocks away was what saved me from utter despair for a good part of the year.  I'm lucky to have a fun, reliable, trustworthy friend.  

Erik is a pretty, pretty princess

• Moving to Idaho.  Seriously, this was the best thing I could have done this fall.  I had to choose between staying  at home to save up enough money to move to France and moving to Idaho and spending the France money.  I gave up France for Rexburg, Idaho.  A lot of people would see that as a lame choice, but for me it was the better choice.  I have a great apartment, I have great roommate.  

My apartment

• Grades.  This is my best semester ever.  In fact, this is the best I've ever done in school.  I have straight A's.  I am the bomb.

Midterm grades.  Still going strong

I could go on and on about the awesome things that have happened this year.  True, there were some low points and I could go into those, but instead of viewing those things as negatives, I chose to look at the way they've changed me and helped me become who I am today.  

2011 has been a year to remember.  I look forward to it's close and the beginning of 2012.

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first"

Today in my brit lit class we somehow got onto the topic of nun hats and their shape.  My professor went off on a tangent about these pastries he had in France called religieuses which means nun's hat in French, that was the connection between Hopkins and this delectable French pastry.  He jumped on google images, showed us a picture, then took a good portion of time telling a detailed story about how one goes about eating a religieuse.  Brother Bruggar's stories are so fun.  The tangents make that class so worth it.  I guess the literature is pretty good, too.  I discovered this week that I really like Christina Rossetti.

Anyway, earlier in the semester we were told we would get extra credit if we used British recipes and brought in British desserts, such as figgy pudding and other delightful treats.  Unfortunately, the idea of making a religieuse is much more appealing than whipping up some mediocre pudding.  It wouldn't really be that hard, it's just pastry cream and  pâte à choux.  Essentially, it's a giant cream puff with a smaller cream puff on top.
  

See?  Not that hard.  I've got experience with  pâte à choux and I've watched a pro make it. We had a guest chef (from France!!  I wish I remembered his name) come and teach us the proper method for making it.  It's a slightly difficult dough to work with, but it's not the hardest thing to do.  I haven't made it since culinary school, but my professor told me he'd give me extra credit if I made religieuses for the class.  He also said he'd pay for the ingredients.  Awesome?  Awesome.

I'm going to do a test run this weekend, just to make sure the method I've come up with is going to be appropriate for making my own religieuse.  I've never had one, so I'm being daring and making them my way. I'm really excited.  This is the kind of thing I live for.  If I could just drop out of school and experiment and create desserts, I would.  But then I would get fat.  And be uneducated.  I don't want either of those.

Hurray for religieuses!

Top 8 things I love about Rexburg

A couple weekends ago I came to the realization that I really love this small, boring town.  It's often complained about that there's nothing to do here, it's so podunk, everyone is super lame, etc.  I don't know what people are thinking, but there is SO much to do!  I went to the caves one weekend, to Idaho Falls the next, I've gone to dance parties and movie nights, to walmart late at night, and out to the park to longboard.  I've gone to events on campus, over to friends houses for movie nights or to play games.  There is always something to do out here, you just have to look around you.  In addition to the atmosphere of the town, I love being at BYU-Idaho.  It's a great school with a great spirit and great people.

That being said, here is my top 8 favorite things about this place.

1.  The PEOPLE!

• I have fantastic roommates.  I've lucked out this semester with girls I don't know too well and girls I haven't ever met.  They are all fantastic.  We have the same kind of humor, we have the same ideas for how an apartment of six girls should operate.  We've already signed contracts for the winter to live with the same six people...that's kind of a big deal.
• The ward I'm in is excellent.  It's heavily full of girls, but thus far I really enjoy them.  The boys, too.  Our FHE group is a hodge-podge mix of people, but it somehow works really well.  I'm stoked for my ward.  And the guys across the street, because I'm over at their apartment almost as much as I'm at my own apartment.
• The professors are so amazing.  I've made the habit of thoroughly researching my professors on ratemyprofessor before actually registering for any classes and it's made all the difference.  I have a ton of wonderful teachers this semester who make me actually excited to come to class and do the homework.  

2.  The Campus of BYU-Idaho.
          Have you SEEN the new BYUI Center?  The improvements made on this campus since I've been gone are outstanding.  The Manwaring Center improvements are amazing, along with the sky walk and the new gym.  The campus is absolutely gorgeous.  I love BYU-Idaho.

3.  Porter Park
          I love porter park.  Granted, the fall and winter aren't prime for spending Sunday afternoons napping on the grass, having picnics with roommates and friends, it's still a glorious place.  Can't wait for the spring and warm weather.

4.  The Food
          Now, I know that Rexburg is pretty limited as far as cuisine goes, but there are some good eats here.

•   Taco Bus.  There are two on them, but the one that's worth going to is the one that's right by the round-a-bout, across from Rockland.  I prefer the macho burrito with steak, but I hear the carnitas are delicious as well.  Authentic Mexican food in small town Idaho.  In a bus.  So good!
• Sammy's famous pie shakes are delicious.  I wish I had thought to make a shake with real pie in it...  Their concerts are pretty fun, too.  I went to a ska concert, ate a banana cream pie shake, and had a good ol' time.  Too bad the shakes are WAY over priced...
• It took me five semesters to ever get myself into Wingers.  It spectacular like I was expecting, due to the hype people have made, but it's not bad.  I rather enjoyed it.  
• Sushi in Idaho seems a little bit strange, but Da Pineapple Grill is tasty.  I've spent a couple birthdays there for birthday dinner, enjoying myself some scrumptious sushi.  I kind of want some right now...
• Frontier Pies has mediocre dinner food, but their pies (excluding the cream pies) are dang good.  I haven't had any since I got back to Rexburg, but every time I think of berry pie, their jumbleberry pie comes to mind....mmmm

There are plenty of other places to eat, but they're more fast food , like Taco Bell or Little Caesar's.  All the same, there are lots of places I like to eat.

5.  The Dancing
          I love to dance.  I love dance parties, swing dancing, ballroom dancing...pretty much, if it involves moving to music, I want to be there.  I'm currently taking a ballroom technique class and I'm loving it.  We just started swing dancing and the technique is harder than you'd think, but it's so much fun!  I'm stoked.

6.  The Snow
          Don't get me wrong, the snow is a pain.  I haven't yet survived a winter here in Rexburg, so that might change my opinion of the snow, but I can't help but feel giddy and excited when it snows.  I think it's beautiful,  I'd much rather walk to school in the snow than in the rain, where I'll for sure end up soaking wet by the time I get to class.

7.  Movie Marathons
          I realize that movie/tv marathons aren't unique to my experience in Rexburg, but they're still a big part.  Whether it's Pushing Daisies, The Office, or Hoarders, it's bound to be a good time.  It's fun with roommates, it's fun with friends.  It's fun with guys from home or guys across the street.  It's fun to chat during commercials and tease each other.  I feel as though there's this bonding that happens, even though we're all sitting around watching TV.  Maybe it's just the people I watch TV with...we get pretty emotionally involved.

8.  The SPIRIT here!
           Feeling the Spirit is awesome.  I feel it here all the time and it rocks.  I'm taking two religion classes, Pearl of Great Price and Family Foundations.  Those, combined with devotional, church, and random other moments of spirituality, make life here in Rexburg abundant with spiritual experiences.  I find that I'm more in tune with the spirit and less likely to focus on the downer things in life.  I feel my trust in God strengthened every day by even the littlest of things.  Having the spirit ever present here at BYU-Idaho makes things just that much better.


I was going to make this a list of ten things, but this blog has been at least a month in the making, so it's time to post it.  I love Rexburg, it's as simple as that.

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”

Remember that one time I said I go with my gut?  Yeah, carpe diem seems to be the driving factor behind many of the things that I do. 

I was planning on moving to France in January.  I was really excited, I looked into a lot of costs and I dug out my old passport.  At the time, I really felt good about it because it was time that I did something.  Living at home, working at Starbucks was getting monotonous and I needed a change of scene, a change of people.  France sounded great.  France still sounds great.

I'm not where I was in August when I made that decision.  I feel as though I've undergone an internal change between then and now, understanding more who I am, who I want to be, and what direction I'm heading.  I know now that I'm a better student, more prepared for life at BYU-Idaho.  I've made some connections out here in Idaho with people who work at the local bakers and I feel strongly that I'm going to find a job for the winter. 

Yep, I'm staying in Idaho.  I've signed a contract, its a done deal.  I feel kind of bad for backing out of the France plan, but financially it wasnt going to work out.  It costs a lot of money to travel and live overseas.  Besides, living here in Idaho makes sense.  I'm doing well in school, I have solid friends, and its hard to beat the spirit in this town.  I feel uplifted by the people that surround me and I feel happy.

I'm happier than I've been in a long time.  Things are turning around and working out for me.  It's about time, life.  Let's keep things going this way.

"Starbucks represents something beyond a cup of coffee"

How Starbucks taught me to study: a tale of lattes and literature

I'm not afraid to admit that I've been a bad student in previous semesters.  My study habits, although they've existed, have been rather poor.  Sleep deprivation at night resulted in naps during class instead of attending class.    I want to believe that I was a good student and the classes were just that hard, but truth is that I really just wasn't that into school.  I did fairly well, enough to get by with average grades, but I know I'm better than that.

Here I am at a the start of a new semester after having taken two years off.  It's intimidating and huge and I'm scared out of my mind, BUT I have this overwhelming feeling that this is the semester where I figure things out and do well.  Throughout this first week of school I've been so on my game.  I've gone to all my classes on time (17 credits worth) and I've spent time in the library getting assignments done and many hours at home studying in my room instead of playing with my roommates.  Every time I open my computer, instead of opening up Facebook first thing, I open up my byui account and get a couple assignments done.  And then I get on facebook and watch kid history and laugh my face off.

What happened to cause the change?  I think working full-time at Starbucks did the trick.  I got into the habit of going to work for 9 hours, starting at 5am.  I worked hard at my job to be the best barista I could be and now I feel ask though I have a work ethic that far surpasses the one I had when I was at school before.  Basically, Starbucks taught me how to study.

This is my semester.  

"Its really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs"

This is round 5 for me at BYU-Idaho.  Two years on, two years off, now I'm back.
I'm in a new apartment with new roommates and a new (hopefully last) major.  I'm all settled in and I'm already loving my roommates.

I feel as though this is going to be the semester that I really figure out what I'm doing, and not only in school.   I think I'm going to end up with a clearer idea of what I'm going to do with my life.  I'm going to figure out what direction I need to take, whether or not I should stay in Idaho, how I'll be able to afford France, where I need to be.  I'm twenty-two and I still need some direction with what I'm doing.  There are so many options available to me, but everything has it's pros and cons.  Sometimes I'm worried about making the wrong decision.

But I really feel like things will make more sense this semester.  Hurray!

Day 18: Whatever tickles your fancy

I'm swapping day 18 and 19 because I feel like writing about what I want to write about right now.

Carpe Diem.  Seize the day.  It's pretty much the motto of my life.  I'm the type of person who acts on impulse, so if something sounds good and I feel like doing it, I put all my energy towards doing that one thing.  I'm not sure if this is a good thing because I feel like I often times change my mind halfway through powering towards one goal in order to pursue something else.  But eventually some things get done and it feels awesome.  For example...culinary school!  Road trip across the US!  Skydiving!  Getting a job at the bread basket!  Things work out.

My latest fiasco (fyi-fiasco is the word of the day.  I've used it at least seven times) started last Tuesday.  My mom suggested to me that I move to Idaho in the Spring instead of waiting until the Fall and I became obsessed. It felt like a great idea, I haven't had any luck with finding a job out here, and I'm simply ready for a change of pace.  I need new faces and new scenery.  I spent forever looking into apartments out there, figuring out which ones still had rooms open for the spring, which ones I could afford, where people I knew were staying...  I found an apartment, I got all the papers ready to be sent back with the deposit...but then I was told I'm ineligible to even live in BYUI housing until I have a track assigned to me.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with how BYU-Idaho works, there are three semesters: Spring, Fall, and Winter.  When you apply, you are assigned two semesters to attend (your track) and then one semester to have off (your off track.)  This enables the school to have many more students than it's capable of having on a normal school schedule.  It worked out great for me before because I was on the Spring/Fall track.  I attended school in Idaho April-December and then went home January-March.  No cold Idaho winters for me!  However, I'm now in a rut because I have to be reassigned a track since I took so much time off.  I can't live in BYUI housing until the semester I'm accepted to starts.  I don't find out for at least another two weeks. If I'm moving into this apartment complex that I want, I need to sign a contract pretty much now or it'll fill up.  It's an awful situation to be in and the housing/admissions offices aren't helping at all.

But I was saved!  I got a call today from a grocery store I applied to a couple months ago.  I applied for the bakery, but they had a position in their Starbucks open up and they liked my availability.  I went out there and interviewed and they offered me the job on the spot.  35 hours a week, Sundays off, great pay.  I start training on Wednesday.  BYUI will have to wait until September.  Bittersweet.

So, carpe diem.  It might be my saving grace, it might be my demise.  For now, it's making things hectic, but so good.

You may call me The Mormon Barista.

Shall we dance?

Saturday afternoon I got to participate in one of my favorite activities of the semester: The Social Dance Competition. This was followed by our class performance at the Big Band Formal last night.

This semester I'm taking Dance 281, in which we learned advanced Foxtrot and Triple Swing as well as basic steps in west coast swing, mambo, samba, and night club two step. For our competition (which was just between the people in our class, since we're the only 281 class) we competed in Night Club Two-Step. It's a simple dance that can be danced to a whole lot of popular music, which makes it really fun. I danced with a guy named Ethan from Blackfoot, ID. He's a really fun guy and he's ALWAYS smiling! On one of the videos Eryn took of us dancing, you cna hear her commenting on how happy he always is. We placed third. We got medals. We were stoked!


Ethan and I dancing in the open swing session.

Last night was the Big Band Social Dance Formal where our class got to show off by performing our incredibly sexy mambo. I danced with a guy named Spencer who's quite a laugh. We had tons of fun dancing together. I still adore the Mambo.


Me and Spencer after our performance. We're trying to look tough, but I look like I'm about to cry.