20

I have less than a week of being a teenager left. Part of me wants to do something completely silly and irrational to leave my teenage years with a bang while the other part of me wants to just smile to myself, accept the fact that I'm growing up, and settle in to my 20s quietly.
I think I'll miss the silliness, the giggling, the extreme moodiness, the sudden changes, the many memories, those secret smiles, the giddiness, and everything else that defines a teenage girl. I know I won't lose those things completely, but they'll be muted.
I'm a little scared to be responsible, to make important choices, to be a 20 year old! It'll definitely take some getting used to.
I'm super excited to be 20! I'm entering a whole new decade of my life! Just look at how much the last decade defined me! I'm sure the next decade will be just as defining and life changing!
I'm bidding a fond farewell to Jenny the teenager and looking forward to meeting Jenny the 20 year old. I'm hoping she's nice and friendly and not too different from the Jenny I'm used to being.

Flute Drama

Dear Jimmy,

Sorry, but I have a new make-out buddy. His name is Adam, and he's an alto flute. I love him so so so so much. I promise I'll play with you sometimes, but it's so much more fun to play with Adam. His rich, dark tones make my heart melt.

Don't worry, it's not because you're fat (you're not. Adam is larger than you), or because you're too old (you're not. But Adam is a little newer. And golder.). It's just because I won't let you be the only thing to touch my lips. ;)

Love you still (but sharing my lips and heart with another),
Jenny

Hard Things

“We've got to learn hard things in our lifetime, but it's love that gives you the strength. It's being nice to people and having a lot of fun and laughing harder than anything, hopefully every single day of your life.” -- Drew Barrymore

We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." -- JFK

Wow. I'm still growing up. And it's hard! Really, really hard sometimes. But I choose to do things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. From everything like school or dating to wearing modest clothes and acting appropriately, I can say that I can do hard things!

I had a high school English teacher who was fond of saying, "Yes, it's hard, but you can do hard things!" as she had an animated picture of the mythological Greek guy who had to push a rock up a mountain endlessly. High school was hard, but I did it! Freshman year of college was hard, but I did it! Right now, it's hard, but I can do it! I love accomplishing the hard things. I think I learn the most that way.

General Conference Part 1

So basically I loved conference. Just like every other typical BYU student out there. Seriously though, I felt that the words were coming directly to me. They were exactly the things I needed to hear, the exact answers to the specific questions I had in my heart.

So, let’s start at the very beginning (A very good place to start!)

Saturday morning:

Jeffery R. Holland is so emphatic when he speaks! His testimony is powerful, and he bears it powerfully. I had my testimony strengthened through his talk; I know that I am individually loved of God. I know He is aware of me and my needs.

Pres. David McConkie spoke to the teachers, a career path I’ve been considering. The truth is that teachers change lives. I started working as a Physics TA this semester, and I absolutely love it! I love teaching, I love seeing the light bulb go off in people’s eyes when they finally understand. That wasn’t the only thing about that talk though; I was reminded that I can find answers to my questions in the scriptures, and that I need to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost when I receive those answers.

D. Todd Christofferson spoke on consecrating our lives to the Lord. That is the measure of success, not worldly fame or fortune, or Nobel Prizes.
And of course, Pres. Uchtdorf spoke on flying airplanes. How could he not? As a busy college student, this was the most clear, timely reminder I could have received that I need to focus on the essentials, that I shouldn’t waste my time doing too many trivial things. As Leonardo daVinci said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I should proceed at the optimum speed for my circumstances, that is, don’t try to take 17 credits every semester I’m at BYU unless I know I can handle it and still have a good balance in my life. And lastly, “Love” is spelled “T-I-M-E.” The things I spend the most time doing, the people I spend the most time around, these are the people and things I love the most. Are they the right things? If I spend 12 hours listening to music, I must really love that music. Do I love it more than my studies? Maybe I should reconsider the time I spend doing the trivial things and refocus that time into the essential things.

Well, this is long enough for now. And I have some tests to study for. SO, for now, this is my conference report. More to follow!

Prayers

Are Answered.

Can I just say how true this is? It is. Really. More to come shortly hereafter.

Matchmaker

No seriously. My wonderful student ward has a wonderful bishop who has a wonderful wife who has taken it upon herself to be the ward matchmaker. Oh, Yenta. She's super nice and is taking the time to get to know all the girls and guys in the ward, and then having us fill out little index cards about who we are and what we are looking for in our ideas of "a match." Then she will suggest our names to guys who may or may not subsequently ask those "suggestions" out on dates. Wow. Only at BYU. Should be ... interesting ...

Life Plan

....for the next year. As stated by myself and my roommate Jamie. I must say, it is quite a good plan for life.

Step 1. Meet a Guy. This semester or next winter semester, I must meet a guy who will fall in love with me and I with him. He must have access to quite a bit of money for the rest of this fantastic plan to be carried out.
Step 2. Study abroad to Vienna Summer 2010. This will be financed mainly by aforementioned guy who I will meet. He will accompany me to Vienna, where we will fall more madly in love than ever.
Step 3. Get Married. At the end of July, we will get married in a temple in Europe. Either Bern, Switzerland or Frankfurt Germany, or Rome, Italy. This aforementioned guy will have enough money to fly out his and my families to the city of our choice to see the ceremony. And I'll have a wedding dress direct from Italy.
Step 4. Honeymoon. All around Europe, for the entire month of August. At the end of August, we will return to Utah and hold a reception before going back to school. This way we won't have to pay for married student housing before school starts!
Step 5. School. Ah, yes. We can't ignore school. We will live happily ever after in our little apartment / house / cardboard box after spending too much money in Europe.

Can't you see it happening? I'll let you know how it progresses at each step. I have yet to fulfill step 1, the most important step, but I will. Oh, I will.

Gachliliot

Fireflies. I like this song.

P.S.

I love Provo.

Tonight my roommate and I hiked to the Y. Yes, all the way to that wonderful beacon of wisdom and enlightenment that's just as white as the front door of our apartment. And we made it there and back in an hour. 60 minutes. 3600 seconds. I feel accomplished.

Then we watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Oh, Flint Lockwood, you are such a genius. But your research is completely ungrounded. It would never work here in the "real world."

And today is Regional Conference. We'll all trek to the Marriot Center to hear some words of wisdom. Should be good.

Friday night I went on a date. With a guy named Justin. Who's in my math class. Who's been off his mission for 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! Anyways, I think we both had fun. We went to see HumorU, got free pizza at Fall Fest, danced one song at the dance outside, and took tours of our respective second homes on campus (the Eyring Science Center and the Clyde Building). When we were done, we walked down to the parking lot where he thought he had parked his car, only to figure out we had passed it in an earlier parking lot without realizing it. So he just walked me all the way home, then walked back to his car. I felt bad; we could have turned around and saved him that extra trip, but oh well.

Anyways, this weekend was great. I even finished all my physics homework! And I got a new schedule for work. No longer must I work until 10:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Hooray! Honestly though, I love my job. It's fantastic.

P.S. I love Provo.

A Nice Quote

“I am satisfied, I know it is so, that whenever a man has a true witness in his heart of the living reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, all else will come together as is should. . .That is the root from which all virtue springs among those who call themselves Latter-day Saints.”
~President Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU Marrieds Regional Conference, Feb. 10, 1996