Some Moments...

Today is a weird day. It is that magical time of the month where all emotions are intensified. I skipped my science class so I could take a nap. (I don't believe in skipping class!) I haven't eaten very healthy. Today is just a weird day.

Also, I have been thinking about something. (Warning: if you don't want to gag, you should probably stop reading.) When I came home to Utah for my off-track in April, I was sooo through with dating. Every boy was so dumb. Relationships were over-rated. I was just done. There were times where my mom would say "Merrie, do you even like boys anymore? Sometimes I think you could just take 'em or leave 'em." That was basically how I felt. I did eventually want to meet the right guy for me and get married and I knew it would happen some day, but I just didn't care anymore.

During the 5 months that I was home from school, several things happened to me that slowly changed my perspective. It all started when I went to a wedding reception of a girl  from my home ward. As I watched the newly married couple interacting with each other, so in love, ready to spend eternity together, I suddenly felt overcome with emotion. I realized that I wanted that. The feeling was so strong and undeniable. I went home that night and bawled into my journal.

Several other events transpired during my summer. One of them was dating a boy who I got really serious with. He and I could have gotten married. It wasn't totally right though. I knew I needed to end the relationship, but leaving him I took with me a strong, strong desire to get married in the temple, to make covenants and create with a companion.

I still feel that way. With all of my heart, I want to move on to that next step in my life. I realize that life gets harder in many ways when you are married, but I still have that desire.

I am totally happy where I am, being single. There is no part of me that wants to rush into a foolish relationship or make a hasty decision. I know that everything will happen the way it is supposed to and in the Lord's timing for me. I am just saying that the difference between me now and me 7 months ago is that 7 months ago I didn't care and now my heart longs for that very important step in life.

New Title

As you can see, I changed the title of my blog. When I first created the blog I intended to mainly post gospel-related things. It has changed to a blog about whatever happens to be on my mind, church related or not, so I felt it appropriate to change the title.

I love the word serendipity. It was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754 and means "The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident." I love serendipitous moments! They can't happen if you are too stubbornly set on one particular outcome; rather, they occur when you move forward in faith in your chosen course with an open mind and heart. :)

School Eats You

This week I had two block classes that ended. Whoot! Now I only have 6 classes instead of 8, I am very excited.

Isn't it funny how working your bum off is barely good enough in college? I don't feel like I am bragging when I say I have been putting my nose to the grindstone. My days go something like this: I wake up at 5, read scriptures, exercise, get ready, pack a lunch and a dinner (this takes a long time and is kind of annoying), then go to class. In between classes I hit the books. After classes I go strait to the library and stay there until my homework is done. Then I come home and it is basically time for bed because I have to get 8 hours of sleep. When I say I "have to" I mean just that--if I don't then the next day my body won't let me get out of bed or I will involuntarily fall asleep in class or at the library, which is embarrassing.

I love the fulfilling feeling of working this hard. During my off-track I worked full-time and it felt strange to come home without homework. It was nice, but I honestly missed that feeling of working so hard and accomplishing so much.

How do you feel about the work load? Do you secretly kind of love it like I do or is it the bane of your existence?

Purple Oatmeal

For breakfast lately I have been eating oatmeal. Last week I bought a bag of frozen mixed berries and have been adding a handful, along with a cut up banana. Delicious! Stirring the berries around in the oatmeal turns it purple and then I feel like I am eating something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Besides purple oatmeal, I find lots of reasons throughout the day to be happy. You find what you look for, so I like to look for the happies. :)

Too Passionate?

Sooo... this last August I attended BYU Education Week for the third time, it is the highlight of my year. I highly recommend that you go, it is amazing. One of the classes that I went to was called "Dating vs. Hanging Out." It really changed my perspective on the dating that is going on in the LDS Single Adult scene. I won't rant and rave too much about it here, but instead will post a link to a talk where you can read what Elder Dallin H. Oaks has to say about it, because I agree with him whole-heartedly.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/dating-versus-hanging-out?lang=eng

I feel passionately about this subject. Call me crazy, but I think it is another one of the Adversary's ways of trying to thwart eternal families. I am done being a part of it. Nowadays when I guy asks if I want to "hang out" (aka let him bum on my couch while I provide him with food) I say "Sorry, I don't hang out, but if you would like to go on a date I would be glad to."

Feeling and acting this way places me in a very, very small minority here at BYU-Idaho. Everyone here hangs out casually, it is what they do. But I am done with it. Sorry!

Today I think...

Today I am wearing the most ridiculous shirt. Have you ever seen Anne of Green Gables? Do you remember the light blue dress that she wants so desparately and Matthew buys for her? The one with "puffed sleeves"? Well the sleeves on this blouse are easily comparable to those. I got this blouse at Savers and I just love it. I wear it with some pointy-toed shoes I got at DI years ago that match the color of teal perfectly. I love thrifting.

I really like crock pots. They are so easy and they make everything so yummy.

Ok, here is something. I think that what "dating" has become in this day and age is ridiculous. Here are two things I won't budge on:
1) The boy is the one who asks the girl out. I have had so many people tell me that I should stop being so old fashioned and ask boys I am interested in on dates. I won't do that because if there is a boy I am getting to know who hasn't asked me out it is either because a) he doesn't want to go out with me, or b) he is too afraid/awkward/whatever to do so. Both of those are good enough reasons for me to just kind of drop it. I will be friendly, I will flirt, I will encourage, but I will not ask a boy on a date. That is just not my job.
2) I really think it is important to go on a for realsies date. "Hanging out" makes the objective so unclear and just confuses everyone.
I realize that I sound silly and old-fashioned, but I feel strongly about these things, and I have experienced it all. The traditional ways are the best ways in this area, in my opinion.

I really think everyone should read Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. I just finished it last night and it changed my life!

Mmmm, the yummiest sandwich of them all.

Today I made the most scrumptious sandwich for lunch. It consisted of fresh spinach leaves, tomato slices, avacodo, cheese, turkey, and mustard on wheat bread. Mmmmmm. It sure hit the spot.

This semester I have been eating healthier than I have in the past, and it feels so good. The inspiration that caused this? My Early Childhood Nutrition class and my American Epidemic class. After learning just a few things about health and nutrition I see how important it is to take care of my body. A huge perk to this is that I feel like I am doing better in other aspects of my life! I am more alert and attentive in my classes and I just feel better all around. :)

An "Epic Fail" and some other silly things.

Guess what I did yesterday. Probably the silliest thing anyone has ever done in the history of silly things. I tried to go to my 3:15 class at 4:15. I went in and sat down and thought to myself "Hmm, I don't recognize any of these classmates." Then everyone around me started talking about an assignment that was due that day that I knew nothing about. I started to panic, how could I have missed the assignment? It was then that I realized that this was in fact NOT my class! Silly, silly Merrie. I went home and felt a tad ridiculous, as you can imagine.

The other day I saw the people in the paramedic program learning how to climb trees. It struck me as completely hilarious.

Today in the library I was gathering up my things to leave and when I pulled my jacket off of the chair then it (the chair) very loudly fell apart and everyone looked over at me as I felt myself turning red. The nice boy next to me helped me reattach the top part of the chair.

My science teacher has a Mr. Potato Head tie. He wears it with a peach colored shirt and he reminds me of a male version of Miss Frizzle.

Here is a picture of my niece Melissa and Me in 2006. I ran across it the other day and it warmed my heart. Shouldn't every backyard have a swing like this?

Also, here is a picture of me doing the splits when I was 12, unless this post wasn't random enough.