It's Over!

Well, that's it folks. It's officially over. I am now a college graduate! :) It's funny because I don't really feel any different and I don't feel like I know anything more than I knew before. In some ways I feel even less knowledgable than I did before. I definitely learned a lot but I just don't remember any of it...lol. There's just so much to know and so much to learn that a college degree really doesn't mean a whole lot. Great, I have a piece of paper now that says I know all of these things about the humanities and about music. But really I only know a fraction of all there is know about those things. Don't get me wrong. I am so grateful for all of the things have learned and that I will be able to take with me throughout my life. I truly have been enlightened and maybe not so much in facts and theories. Rather, I have been enlightened in how to become a better human being. I have learned to be more patient, tolerant, humble, involved, giving, and understanding. Even though I've been at BYU, which has the reputation of being a "bubble," I really have learned a lot about other peoples' views and about the world (yes there are people with varying views and beliefs at BYU). My testimony has been tried and strengthened and I've learned that I need to not be so gullible and that professors are not all-knowing. I can't always take what they say as the gospel truth. I've learned that I can only know truth through the confirmation of the Spirit. That is the only way to truly discern truth from lies. I've learned to be open to what others have to say and at the same time still hold fast to what I believe. I've learned that sometimes we have to do things we hate in order to progress and become better. I've also learned that I have a LONG way to go to become the person I really want to be. So I've decided that a college education is completely about knowing the material on the tests. It is also about finding out who you are and how you are going to go about living in this world, deciding what part you will play. I have decided that I am going to play my part as best as I can. I want to be part of making the world a better place!

As a sidenote, I just wanted to say that Christmas was wonderful! It was so nice to be home and have Nate there with me. We had fun relaxing and playing. He was really excited about the GPS system he got for Christmas from his secret lover ;)....lol. I got earrings, a scrapbooking kit to scrap my graduation, gloves, a 1 GB SD card for my camera, a battery charger, the 5th Harry Potter movie, chocolate, and a couple of gift certificates to go shopping from my parents and Nate. I'm really excited about shopping! Nate and I also got the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD Treasure Hunt game from Mom and Dad. All in all it was great! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!

Thanksgiving Break

I don't know about the rest of you, but my Thanksgiving was great! I love that holiday. It's always such a fun time, especially because you get to be with family and people you love. For the first couple days of break I got to be at Mom and Dad's house. On Tuesday Mom, VJ, and I went shopping at the mall. We had a lot of fun. It was so great to have VJ here since it's been a year or so since I've seen him. Just being around him made it feel more like home because it brought back memories of when we were growing up. That night we went to Gandolfo's for dinner and then watched Bridge to Teribithia.

The next day we did more shopping and then Cody and Jayla came over. Jayla and I went to Target for a while (gotta love shopping!) and then came back in time for dinner. Cody and Dad were out helping a lady in the ward with some electric things so they weren't there with us for dinner :(. But Maurvene was able to come over and we had an enjoyable time together. It was almost like Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving. Later, after Cody and Dad came back, we played video games and then played Skipbo, a family tradition (well at least just playing games). We also all participated in recording music for Cody and Jayla's website www.ohsnapbands.com. That was pretty fun.

Then on Thanksgiving I left really early in the morning to catch my flight to Seattle to spend a few days with Nate and his family. I had SO much fun up there! We had dinner at the church by his grandma's house because his aunts, uncles, cousins, and even his aunt's family came (who Nate didn't know). There was about 50 people there, but the food was amazing and the company was great! One of his uncles even made ribs and they were to die for! After dinner, Nate and I went in the chapel and sang and played because his grandma really wanted us to. A bunch people came in and listened for a while. I even got to sing a duet with one of his aunts who is a wonderful singer. It was awesome!

The day after Thanksgiving Nate was really anxious to get the Christmas tree up so he and his dad started the project. I helped some too. The whole tree didn't get decorated before I left, but it was still fun to see a lit Christmas tree. We also went to see Enchanted with his parents, his sister Stacey, and her boyfriend. It was a really cute movie and has some catchy tunes too. We decided not to shop on Black Friday, mostly because we wanted to sleep in and also because we didn't want to deal with the crowds.

On Saturday Nate and I took a walk along this trail by his house. It was beautiful, but very chilly. We went because I had to do a nature experience for my class. Then we went to the bishop's house to watch the BYU vs. UofU football game. It was great! The best part was that the bishop and his family were Ute fans so they had everything all decked out in red. They even had cookies that said "Go Utes!" and red and white M&Ms saying "Go Utes!" and "Beat BYU!" Well all their decorating was futile, because, of course, BYU won!! It was a lot of fun.

The front yard was even decorated. Someone in the ward had put BYU stuff all over the yard. It was great! They even wrote "Converted Cougars!" on the sidewalk with chalk.

That night we made gingerbread houses because I guess it is a tradition with his mom's family. I actually saw some pics of them doing it as little kids. So us and all of his sisters made houses. I'd never made them with real gingerbread, but his mom is an amazing baker so she made some and that's what we used. Ours is so cute, right? ;)

On Sunday I had the most embarrassing experience of my life. Nate's mom asked us to perform in church so I sang and Nate accompanied me. Well the singing and stuff went well (Nate did an amazing piano solo in the middle that he arranged), but then as I was walking back down to my seat, I totally biffed it down the stairs!! It was HILARIOUS! I mean, it wasn't just a trip, it was a full-blown fall and I landed on my hands and knees at the bottom of the stairs. I thought I was going to die! Thankfully we were sitting in the front row so I didn't have far to go to my seat. Nate didn't quite get there in time because he was just coming around the piano. The funniest part was that before we went up there Nate whispered in my ear "Don't trip on the stairs." Oh man I wanted to just burst out laughing so bad, but I couldn't because it was sacrament meeting...lol. Nate just came down and put his arm around me just to make me feel better. It was so funny. People even came up to me afterwards and asked if I was okay. So embarrassing! Well I guess it'll be a moment to remember! On Monday we went into Seattle for a bit and walked by the ferry port and the piers. We also had some fish and chips. Then we went to the airport and flew back to Utah. Overall it was a great trip!!

Halloween and More!

In the last entry I talked about the trip I would be taking to California with Mom and Dad. Well the trip was amazing! We had so much fun! The hotel we stayed at and the surrounding area was so incredibly beautiful. It was such a difference coming from cold and dry Provo to sunny and humid San Diego. I honestly just wanted to stay, but I guess it was good we didn't because if we had stayed one day longer we would have been right in the middle of the fires. Dad was fighting the horrendous wind that caused all of the havoc on our way back. We even saw a Wal-Mart truck that was all tipped over because of it. We were pretty blessed to get out of that when we did. The city our hotel was in was Rancho Bernardo, one of the places that got hit the hardest with the fire. The first day we were there I went out with Phil and Lisa on a Geocache hunt. If you don't know what that is it's a hobby some people have where they hide little caches in various places around the world. Then they record the GPS coordinates and put them up online so people can look it up and try and find them. So that's what we did. We went walking all around the neighborhoods and found three caches. It was pretty fun and kind of addicting I have to say. Maybe when I finally have money I'll get a GPS system and do it myself! Anyways I took this picture of one of the neighborhoods (they were really expensive nice ones too) and it was literally picture perfect, like it came right out of a movie, as you can see. It probably doesn't look like this now after the fire. Scary and sad to think about!

That night we went to Grandma's community club house where we met up with a bunch of the Hoggan clan and celebrated her 90th birthday with some of her friends from the area as well. She loved it! It was great to see all of the family again. I was able to play the piano and sing for Grandma and that felt really good. She was really grateful and I was glad I could do that for her, sort of my personal gift to her.


Then the next day Mom and I went to the beach in Oceanside and took some pictures, looked at the hot surfers, and enjoyed the salty sea air. We ate lunch at this little oceanside diner which was amazing and looked at the beautiful parrot perched on the fence. It was so much fun. Then I took Jaron to the mall and we hung out for a while.



After that, we all went to Olive Garden for dinner. I got to sit next to Grandma there so I took this picture. I can't believe she's 90! What an amazing woman! So the trip was great and it's great to see family!

So for Halloween Nate and I decided to make and a decorate a cake. Nate has a cake decorating kit so we used that to do the lines and detail of the frosting. We pretty much made up the shape and had to get creative. We used a heart-shaped pan for the head (we cut off the round part) and then a square one for the body and just cut parts out. We also used crushed up oreos to make the chocolate look black. It was pretty fun and everyone had fun eating at FHE.

We also went to a murder mystery party the night before Halloween. It was a pirate theme and Nate was the first mate and I was the governor's daughter. I was having a rebellious love affair with the first mate to spite my father who hated pirates. Well Nate ended up getting murdered and we had to try and solve the mystery. It was so much fun! We had fun shopping for the costumes too :).


Then yesterday we went to the BYU football game against CSU, which we, of course, WON! It was a great game and we even saw Mom, Dad, Cody and Jayla there. The day was perfect too. Not too cold or too hot. All in all we've had a lot of fun!


Now I just get to look forward to doing my research papers and other projects for the next few weeks. Let's hope I can get through it and graduate!! I guess the next big break is Thanksgiving and I'll be in Seattle with Nate and his family for that. I'm excited! I hope I won't get too confused with names and people though because it'll be all of his extended family too. But I guess it can't be as bad as it was for him meeting just my immediate family...lol. He saw all of the little kids and just got overwhelmed. I think he even said that he'd never seen so many little kids running around all at once and that it was chaos. I guess I'm so used to it that it doesn't even phase me...lol. Oh yeah! Yesterday we went to my cousin Dia's house and hung out with her and her husband Andy. We had a blast talking and playing Gamecube. They have a really nice place and they want to have us back again to watch movies or a football game in the community theater that's in the clubhouse or something. They are such nice and cute people! So much fun!! Well I guess I should get back to doing other things I need to do.

School, School, School

That is what the past few weeks have been: school. I think that is the reason I am so excited to graduate. Then I won't have to do anymore homework or papers! Don't get me wrong, I love school and I love to learn, but this whole stress of having a million assignments to do gets old after a while. I guess that's what life is all about though. There is no "done" in this life. There are always things that need doing, fixing, cleaning, etc. Okay, Amy, time to learn that fact and move on! I must say, though, that I have thoroughly enjoyed the many things I have done and learned this semester. I've been reviewing the works of great philosophers (Descartes, Kant, Aristotle, Plato, etc.); listening to and studying the musical theory behind the works of Romantic composers (Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, Berlioz, etc.); understanding the representation of nature in various art forms and the connection this has with today's environmental problems; learning about World War I, especially in Great Britain, through the poetry and art of that time and how that produced the modernist movement; exploring America's history, art, and literature from the late 19th century into the 20th century; and discovering the history of the LDS Church beginning with the westward moving pioneers. I have written papers on the dehumanizing effects of Anglo-Saxonism in America, the American fetishism of the dynamo as addressed in Henry Adams' essay, and the futility of war seen through the eyes of the poet Wilfred Owen and his poem "The Parable of the Old Men and the Youth." Right now I am supposed to be writing a paper on the musical contributions and innovations of Charles Ives and how they are the embodiment of the American spirit, encompassing our European roots with the independent nature of personal taste. I also just took my music history test yesterday, at least the written part. I had my listening exam on Monday. I did really well on the listening exam, but not as well as I'd hoped on the multiple choice part. I think the essay went well though. Guess we'll see! I have all the rest of my midterms next week and I'm leaving with my Mom and Dad for California tomorrow for a family reunion. All I know is that I will be doing a whole heck of a lot of studying while we're driving. I also have 2 big research projects to be working on, as well as a document transcription project for my LDS History class. Oh and I also have a nature journal project to do. Fun stuff! Well, enough jabbering about school things. This past weekend Nate and I went to an organ recital at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, which was really great. Then Saturday I spent half the day doing a service project for my class and the other half researching at the library. I also watched the BYU game that night of course. So nothing too exciting. I was really excited for my niece that got baptized this weekend! I wish I could have been there. I will post more pictures when I get back from California. Yay for good weather!

Birthday, Homecoming, Spiders and Field Trips

First, I have to say that things the past few weeks have been great thanks to so many people! I also have to say that this entry might be a little long because there is so much to catch up on. My 21st birthday was better than I could have asked for. I didn't have school or work that day (it was a Friday) so I was able to take myself to the mall and go, yep, you guessed it, SHOPPING! I found some really cute things and had so much fun. The best part was that I got a really cute outfit to wear that night out to eat with my friends and family. Nate sent me fun and cute messages during the day while he was at work and then when we met up to drive up to the Mayan, he gave me an adorable homemade card that just honestly made me happier than any meaningless gift (I had no idea at that point of the amazing gift I was to get later). We then drove up to Sandy to the Mayan and met my friends, Mom and Dad, Grandma Hoggan, the Ahlstrom family, and John and Damia. I was so happy to have all of these people that I love so dearly around me for the special day. The restaurant was fun and exciting too. I even had to stand up and pound on a drum while the waiters chanted me a happy birthday. Unfortunately, Nate had to leave for the weekend for his sister's wedding so that was kind of a bummer, but when he came back he completely made up for it. On Monday he gave me the best birthday present ever! He bought me a limited edition pink CHI! When I saw it I immediately gasped and squealed and did whatever other expressions of excitement I could think of because I was completely dumbfounded that he would buy me something that expensive. The best part was that he knew how much I needed a good straightener and so he got me one. He was so excited to give it to me too because he kept mentioning how much I was going to love it. Then he surprised me by telling me we were going to the Homecoming Spectacular that Friday and to the Homecoming football game against Airforce. I was so excited I couldn't stand it. So the next weekend came and his parents came into town and we had a great time! Friday we got some pizza and headed to the Spectacular, which was just that. The Tab Choir and Orchestra performed for most of it and it was absolutely amazing. I also got to see Marvin Goldstein, who was sitting two rows in front of us, and got his autograph and a cell phone picture with him. If you don't know who he is, he's a well-known LDS pianist who does arrangements of well-known popular songs and hymns. Afterwards Nate and I and his parents went to the creamery for ice cream. Then Saturday we all watched the band march into the football stadium and then watched the game (which was awesome because we won!). We got a little rained on but it wasn't too bad. Then that night we all went to dinner at this great Thai restaurant that Nate likes. It was really good food! All in all the weekend was a blast! Okay as for the spider part of the title, I had a little terrifying experience last week. Nate and I went on a walk at night, after going to a piano recital, up through the neighborhoods to the trailhead for the Y. On the way up Nate was just teasing me and trying to freak me out by saying "Hey is that a tarantula?!" I flipped out a little bit but then realized he was joking and we just laughed about it. Then, lo and behold, just at the top of the hill on the sidewalk was a spider as big as the palm of my hand. I was terrified. I was thinking what in the heck was a spider like that doing on the sidewalk in the middle of the neighborhood??!! Nate, having served his mission in the Philippines and having dealt with spiders twice that size, wasn't even phased by it. It made me itchy all over just looking at it and I felt like things were crawling all over me. On the way down Nate took a picture of it with his camera phone and then turned around and looked at me. I had my back to him but had my head turned towards him and he reached his arm out towards me and said my name. The first thing that popped into my mind was that I had a spider on my back and that he was reaching out to get it off of me. I let out this blood-curdling scream and literally jumped out of my jacket. Nate just started laughing so hard because he was merely reaching his arm out to put it around me...LOL! Then I was laughing and crying so hard all at the same time. The adrenalin was pumping through my veins so quickly that I couldn't decide if I was more scared or more embarrassed. We laughed practically all the way back. It was great! Then this last weekend we went on a class field trip for my Environmental Humanities class. We went up to the Bird Refuge in Box Elder County and then to the Spiral Jetty in the Salt Lake. The Spiral Jetty was amazing! It was like a whole different world out there, especially since it was snowing and cloudy. That mixed with the wide expanse of the white, salt crust and the mineral pink tinge was breathtaking. I would recommend anyone to go see it! The spiral was made by a guy wanting to create some sort of ephemeral art. It was freezing but so cool...lol...no pun intended. So that was my great last few weeks. Now I better focus on the homework that I have been avoiding. :)

And it begins...

I love the first day of school. The excitement and nervousness is almost tangible. There are students who come so prepared they could probably teach the classes they are taking before even taking them. Then there are the students who are scrambling at the last minute registering for classes, buying their books, and hoping the professors won't notice their late entries into class. I would not put myself in either category, but I think I feel more prepared for this semester than any other, at least physically and perhaps somewhat mentally. Emotionally, however, I don't think I am at all prepared for the inevitable consequence of finishing this semester: GRADUATION. The word carries with it a sense of excitement and accomplishment of completing something honorable. But it also carries with it a word that is handled with both apprehension and dread: CHANGE. For the majority of my life I have not dealt with the implications of this word very well. I like things constant, unwaivering, and with a set plan. Unfortunately, life is not this way nor will it ever be. I say unfortunately only because dealing with change is not yet a strength for me. It is actually a wonderful gift that we have been given. Change, if managed rightfully, is usually for the better. Graduation, for instance, is definitely a change for the better. Though I will most likely deal with withdrawals and longings for this university that has become my home, I will finally be free to use the light I have received from this home and bring that light into a home of my own, wherever that may be. I am actually quite excited about making it through this stepping stone in life. I think I feel this way not only because I will be done with homework and finished with research papers, but also because of a new-found friend. Recently I have been reading a series of novels that I have come to absolutely love. Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series has been for me a friend embodied in pages, words, and binding. Though it was not a person speaking advice with a voice that could literally be heard, it had a voice of its own that was just as real. The act of reading the book itself has been for a me a nice distraction from the tough experiences I have had in the past couple of weeks. Then there was the story. As I was reading it, it was almost as if the author was writing my story. No, I have not fallen in love with any vampires lately and I've never met a werewolf in my life, but the emotions Bella was experiencing were the exact same ones penetrating my heart. As she experienced love, so did I. As she felt like she would fall apart due to the gaping hole in her aching heart, so did I. As she dealt with the implications of an impending change, so did I. It's amazing the timing of certain things in our lives. I needed those books during my experiences more than I realized before I decided to read them. I believe that is the purpose of the arts. These creations of humanity are there as beacons of light for the whole of humanity. The artists communicate for others to interpret, to gain light and comfort from the experiences or ideas shared. Each time we read something, or look at a piece of art, or listen to a piece of music, we are interpreting them as it pertains to us and gain from that a bit of help or knowledge that we may not have had without it. And as we grow and go through different events or changes we can look back at that piece of art of music and find solace again from a different perspective. I think that is why we have been asked to read the scriptures so much and so often throughout our lives. They too are there as a beacon of hope and light, literature from the mouth of God to liken to ourselves as is needed in our ever-changing lives. I love the first day of school. I have already learned so much!

One More Semester Over!

Well folks, that's it. I have officially finished my second to last semester at BYU. I took my last final on Wednesday and now I am free of classes and homework for two weeks! This is the biggest break I have had since last summer and man it feels good. I don't know exactly what I'll do for fun during the times I'm not working, but all I have to say is that I want to relish the last lazy days of summer I have left. Yesterday I began doing that by spending a lazy day with my mom at the South Towne Mall and going to see the chick flick "Becoming Jane." It was so much fun! It's been way too long since I've done something like that, especially with my mom. Mom and I had a great time just talking, catching up and doing what girls do best, shopping!The movie was also very enjoyable and anyone who loves Jane Austen or "Pride and Prejudice" would love it. I think the best part of the day, or maybe just the funniest, was when a little girl came bounding out of the women's restroom at the movie theater with a long piece of toilet paper stuck to her little shoe. Oblivious to any knowledge of her new attachment, she went skipping off to the theater door to go see her movie with several stares and snickers following her. It was hilarious! I felt bad for her, but it was just too funny!
Even though it has been while since I've done something like that and I have been in school all summer, I have done many other things this summer that have been really fun. I tried to post one picture of each fun thing I did. First, I started off the summer celebrating Nate's graduation. Then I took an all expense paid trip to Seattle with Nate and just enjoyed being at his home and jumping on the tramp. I also went on a few fun hikes with Nate, went tubing down the Provo river with him and others, went to the zoo with my mom and sister and her kids, spent time at Sugar House Park with family, watched the Provo City parade and the Stadium of Fire fireworks on the 4th of July, saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, went to a birthday party for my parents and spent time with family there, and went to a family reunion at Downata Hot Springs in Idaho. Wow that's a lot of things. I guess this summer wasn't a complete dud after all! It was actually a pretty fun summer. And technically it's not over. This weekend is my roommate's bridal shower and Tuesday is her wedding and reception (which is at Thanksgiving Point). Also next week is Education Week here at BYU and Mom will be staying with me at my apartment and I might be going to some evening classes with her. Well, since I have to head off to work pretty soon, I guess I better go get ready. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up on this blog and keep people posted (lol) on the goings on in my life.