...you finally update.

It's been a while...and a lot has happened.  I'm feeling pretty lazy, so I'm not going to say much.
Basically, this is it:  school, sleep, food, Thanksgiving with the family in Mesa, back to school with less sleep.
Thanksgiving break, Su, Meagan (my roommate), and I drove all the way done to the land of rock gardens all by ourselves.  Needless to say, we feel like big girls now.  The world is ours!...anyway...
A picture says a thousand words I really don't feel like saying...yes, I admit it.  I'm lazy.

 

Suzanne and Meagan

my form of entertainment for the trip

 

having so much fun driving!

...you become a hero.

...a super hero, that is.  For Halloween I was Gotham City's crime fighter, Batman!  My roommate Beth was the Boy Wonder, Robin.  (We're in the center.)

 

That would be Shark Repellent Bat Spray in my hand.

...you're going to be great.

I'm not grown up completely, but I'm a grown up.   Makes no and absolute sense.  I love and hate paradoxes. 
Labor Day was my last day as a completely dependent kid.  As I was walking away after saying a tearful goodbye to my dad in front of the Hart (the location has nothing to do with the story...but I'll add it because I can), I realized that whether or not I was ready, I was officially a grown up at that moment.  I'm no longer dependent on my parents for opinions, for food, or for money. 
I'm learning to live by and love a budget or starve. 
I'm learning that the world is a crappy and wonderful place (okay, I already knew that...who doesn't?).  I'm learning that to think for myself, form my own conclusions of life or suffer blindly from the Ophelia syndrome. 
I'm learning that ramen can be prepared 101 ways. 
I'm learning the difference between needs and wants.  I live by the motto "Use it up. Wear it out.  Make it do, or do without". 
I'm learning to be much more grateful for all the cushiony things my parents gave me that I can't afford now. 
I'm learning that I love my family much more than I realized, even my siblings. 
I'm learning to forgive...myself.
I'm learning to love the person in the mirror (learning here=still working on it, but doing much better).
I'm learning that new clothes aren't needed to keep up with the latest styles, just a new way of putting old clothes together (has nothing to do with growing up, but I'm very proud of myself for realizing this and how pitiful I used to dress).
I'm learning that my mom can be my best friend.
I'm learning to have patience with people and waiting.
I'm learning that I will never be completely independent because I so need my Savior.
I'm a lot like my dad when it comes to emotions.  We both like to hide them (at least the negative ones) and are almost ashamed when we let others see how we truly feel.  I guess we're both proud in that aspect.  When I was hugging him and my old life goodbye, he told me "You're going to be great."  We both started to tear up and finished up quickly at that first sign of emotion.  I don't know if I will be, but having his support in my first bite of real life has been so wonderful.  I do this thing where whenever I think of a person, I think of something they've said to me.  For him, it's "You're going to be great." I imagine that God told us all that before we left his presence to come to earth.  We all have the potential to make something of ourselves, to be great.  I love my parents so much and am so grateful for their love and encouragement that they give me. 

...you post something happy.

I've been getting complaints about how my posts have been too depressing (*under breath* Hillary), and I must admit I have been a bit woe is me on here since it's so easy to vent with how small the audience it.  Here's a happy post...
I carved a freakin' awesome pumpkin (not to toot my own horn).

The flash makes it look funky, but it is amazing, nonetheless.

...you decorate the apartment.

 

Beautiful portrait of my Idaho family...$0  

(DI is the bomb.com!)

 Ceramic Ducks...$4 

 LaFonda...$2

 

Duck painting...$4

Having the most awesomely decorated apartment and seeing the reaction of visitors...priceless.

...you get a sore bum.

I can see how Rexburg, ID would be a lame place to live if you weren't going to BYU-I, but for a college kid like me it's heaven on earth! (I hope it stays that way.)
My classes went as usual this week, a good mesh of spiritual and secular matters.  One of my professors on Friday told us before we left "Thou shalt not do no-no's this weekend."  Yes, sir. 
Friday night was inconceivable. 
Saturday I went to the Civil Defense Caves and played hide-and-go seek.  We took glow sticks, cut them open, and splattered the gel (Is that what it's called?) all over the rocks, walls, ceilings, us, and anything else within splattering distance.  It was an awesome looking scene; the cave looked like it was filled with a bunch of little colorful stars and when one of us would crouch down next to the rock, we'd completely disappear into our environment.  When looking for people among a pile of rocks, my foot fell into a nice-sized hole and I ended up scraping my leg and bruising my tushy (thus the title of the post...I know, TMI.  Deal with it.) 
Later that night I went to a bonfire get-together on the sand dunes with my FHE group and roommates. (What the crap?  Sand dunes in Idaho...ok)  I typically associate sand with tropical climates, so it was a weird sensation being up there, digging my toes into the sand and huddling next to the fire to keep myself warm. 
I never know how to properly end my posts...so now I'm ending it.  The end.

...you survive!

First week of college...done.
I survived!  Going from being bored out of my mind and doing nothing to doing nothing but studying was really hard, but by Friday I got the hang of it.
This week, I really don't have much to say.  I studied, did homework, and that's basically it.  Yep.
On a completely different subject...I used to think about how other families had special items passed down from generation to generation, but my family didn't have any fine china or quilts that would be considered "heirlooms."  Talking to my grandparents on the phone today, I realized that unlike what I thought before, my family does have heirlooms.  Passed from generation to generation are special phrases, tidbits (I love that word) of wisdom that mean the world to us (well, at least to me).  My grandmother has coined the phrase "PFS" (Pray For Strength) which my mom now tells me constantly and which I have passed on to a few of my close friends (since obviously, I have no spawn yet).  When David O. McKay served his mission in Scotland, he saw a sign which sparked the popular saying "What e're thou art, act well thy part."  Before ending my conversation with my sweet and loving grandparents, they reminded me of our family's version of that saying, "WHERE e're thou art, act well thy part."
Anyway...I'm going now...to get some chocolate. Yum.

(my study stash)

...you gain tidbits of inspiration.

A little bit of religious thinking that came to me during Sunday school yesterday...I call it the "Comfort Train."

2 Cor. 1:3-5
4.  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

This scripture is very dear and has sooo much meaning to me from past experiences.  Here's  the thought...
We are supposed to become like Christ.  Christ suffered through everything we suffer and knows exactly how we feel and comforts us.  I believe we often receive trails not only for our own good but also to gain empathy for others' afflictions (obviously we'll never have as much empathy as He does).  We suffer similar experiences as others so we can comfort them as Christ suffered everything imaginable and comforts all of us.  Does that make sense?  What I'm trying to say is that life is made up of "comfort trains."  Christ went through all...He comforts us as we go through trials...we see someone in the same place we were in earlier and we can comfort them.  So on, so forth. I feel like I'm rambling and not making much sense, but in my head it seems perfect.  Maybe it's not such a great thought, but I was able to see the scripture yesterday in a new light.

...you move to Mormon Town, USA.

And that is exactly what Rexburg is.  I'm loving it here so far minus the fact that there isn't a Chick-fil-a...or a Braum's...or a Sonic...or a Wal-mart Super Center...or a Sam's...but anyway...loving it!  My roomates are awesome.  They've dubbed me "super roommate."
Being on my own, I've learned more about myself.  I'm more prepared for independency than I thought (although I still have a  TON of room to improve).  One of the reasons that I chose to go to a church school is so that I can grow not only in temporal matters (like learning to be on my own and whatnot) but also in spiritual matters.  Reflecting on where I am now, I see that there is so much room to grow.  I'm excited to see how being here will change me (hopefully for the better, haha). 
I'm having a complete culture shock.  A food storage section in Wal-mart?!  A temple within walking distance?!!  Everyone's Mormon here...I feel like I'm at EFY or a church camp and I'll have to go home at the end of the week.

So anyway...here's my apartment room.

...you put it to music.

Call me weird, but I like to pretend my life is a movie, and I'm in charge of picking the soundtrack.  I change the songs depending on my mood, what's going on, so on, so forth.  In the final countdown for leaving for college...well, I'm not sure what I'm feeling.  My mood changes by the minute.  I can't wait to leave Arkansas one moment, and then I'll be getting pre-homesickness the next.  For this chapter/scene of my life these are my picks...some of them don't really make sense, but hey, I'm in charge of the soundtrack.  I get to pick whatever music I want.

"The Scientist" by Coldplay
"Time of Your Life" by Green Day (only song by them that I semi-like)
"Welcome Home" by We Shot the Moon
"Forever and Ever" by He is We

...you make a blog.

...even though you don't have kids.  And you're not married.  And basically all that's going on in your life is college...and work...and laundry.  Yep, that's it.  So in LDS culture, it's typical to have a blog to share all that happens as a wife and/or mother to the world.  Since I'm neither, I guess I'm breaking social norm, but I'm not one to call myself a conformist...even if I am one a lot of the time.  Anyway, enough rambling.  This is my blog.  Welcome.  Take a seat.  I hope I won't bore you too much.  I expect life at BYU-Idaho to be fun and exciting; hopefully my posts will be likewise.

...you make music.

I'll admit, I'm not the greatest. I've heard way too many people better than me to even assume that I'm good. But this is my passion. It's what keeps me at least somewhat sane. I've written a few other things, but this is my best in my opinion (shows how amazing my composing is *sarcasm*). I needed a first post and I thought this would suffice.