It's just been a while

I just wanted to write something, since it's been so long since I've written.

As far as Tilly, I'm glad that she is now living in the school room at home. I'm sure she loves being a mascot of sorts.

Let's see...

Classes are great. There's something about all these things that I'm learning; I love and yearn to learn more about these things everyday.

Microbiology is fascinating. I love understanding how certain things work, and how so many living things were created under a similar model, from a miniscule microbe to a graceful gazelle.

Math is a challenge, but I'm getting to the point that I only spend half an hour twice a week with a tutor (rather than two-three hours a week). Aside from the challenge, the class really is enjoyable. It is interesting to see how Brother Nygaard will respond to the many questions directed at him. One girl has English as a second language...the word problems are especially difficult, and it really is funny to watch and try to contribute to Brother Nygaard explaining what a word problem is asking.

All the vet tech classes are good. I'm supposed to do a report on hamsters before Tuesday, and I haven't started on it yet. I'm not too worried, though. The last one on gerbils only took an hour to do.

Doctor Dredge is very patient with several of us. He is very kind, and he often uses the scriptures to teach us things. Those are my favorite things--those scriptural comparisons to what we're doing.

On a side note, did you know that scientists have discovered that the heart has more nerve endings than the brain?

I will try to write more often.

I miss you all, and I hope things are going well at home. I hope the new house is getting unpacked without incident, and that Red and Dash can come home soon.

I love you all, and I think and pray about you more often than I can count!

Tilly

Alright. This has probably been my favorite part of the semester...going with my roommate Ashley to her psychology lab to watch her train her rat, Tilly.

This is when they first brought Tilly out. Tilly really loves Ashley, and was ready to come out to be trained. They'll use treats, but mostly Tilly is motivated by being where she is happy.

This is me with Tilly on my shoulder. Tilly is very friendly, and I took to her much better than I thought I would. I really have an aversion to rats, but I sometimes forget that Tilly is a rat.

Ashley and her partner, Katie, have taught Tilly to do a couple of things. One thing that Katie has taught Tilly is how to climb across from one table to another using a rope.

As you can see, Tilly really loves Ashley.

Ashley has taught Tilly how to jump from one table to another. I think she's pretty talented, especially for a rat.

In this next one, Tilly jumps again. Ashley rewards her with a Cheerio at the end.

What do you think?

the new byu-i center

For one of my classes (facilities management with Brother Anderson), I was able to tour the BYU-I Center before it opens on December 17.

It was really amazing--it is almost exactly like the big Conference Center in Salt Lake.

Do you see those shiny discs on the ceiling? They actually don't give off any of their own light! They are reflecting light from the spotlights you can see on the sides. The ceiling was so high that it would have been very expensive to purchase the equipment needed just to change a light bulb, so they put up reflective discs instead. I was amazed.

This is a room that has 10 basketball courts that can be divided and also used for soccer, volleyball, and one other sport I can't remember. Do you see the raised track that goes around it? They are connecting this part of the building to the old Hart building so that people can walk back and forth without going through the snow, and that way, the designers didn't need to build whole new locker rooms.

Does that look familiar?

The design is just like the Conference Center, only smaller. The stage has all those same capabilities...and I know you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking...

See those three rows of seating areas? That first row (where we're standing) has 100 more seats than the entire Hart auditorium (which is the current largest gathering place on campus). It looks like just the right size for Rob Gardner to come up to Rexburg!!

I forgot to get a picture of the boys' bathroom...but look how big the girls' bathroom is! It's like an airport! The boys' bathroom only had four stalls, which is why we all thought this was funny at the time. The boys' bathroom had more sinks than stalls.

I really do hope that Rob Gardner will start coming to Rexburg at least as often as he comes to Salt Lake. "The Lamb of God" would be great here, wouldn't it?

program management and the last leaves

I just wanted to show you some pictures of what I've been doing lately.

These are the last leaves of fall...since I've taken these pictures, all the leaves are gone. I thought it was pretty how these couple of trees kept all their leaves when all the others were already gone.






Aren't these trees beautiful? I like the way the lamp post is behind the reddish one--it almost looks like Narnia, doesn't it?

I thought it looked like a magical place, anyway.









...and then, there's program management. This is what we had on the study board as we studied for our final exam:



If you click on it, you can see all the ways that program management is like a bad relationship...

I don't know what the rest of the writing on the board means.

I did get 103% on that final, though!

Lark, Jessi and myself

Hello, everyone! Aren't Lark and Jessi just lovely?












It's good to have friends! (I had to put my glasses up in the picture below so I could look straight at the camera instead of at the frame of my glasses.)

The other night after my program management thing that I had to do (which was not so bad after all, I must say), Lark and Jessi asked if I would come with them to get ice cream. I figured I would. After all, the only class I had was canceled the next morning.

So, we went to some ice cream place. The boy serving us really liked Jessi's hair. Lark and I discussed whether or not Lark would look alright with curly hair. Somehow, I asked the boy if he knew about Rob Gardner (he'd been talking about music), and he had! I couldn't believe it, and we talked about music for about 5 minutes. Then we left.

What would you do if you were in Rexburg and wanted to do something with your friends or family?

Below are also a couple of pictures that Lark took of me after I was done with my program. I was very happy and excited to be finished with it, and I am so glad that Lark and Jessi were such good volunteers and helped me with everything at my program. Am I lucky or what?














These are not the most flattering photos of myself, but I figure it's all I've got. I wonder who designed that amazing poster that's in my hand?

beauty, quizzes, and winter

I really love Idaho! When I left my apartment to go to class, the sky was almost blue, but not quite, and you could see some dark clouds that were headed our way.

I decided to park where I could walk by the maple trees that have shed all their leaves already. I like walking that pathway; the trees seem to still be so alive even though they're sleeping for the winter. Their red leaves blanket the ground directly beneath them, and, right outside the building I'm going to enter, there is a large tree (that the squirrels really like, I must add) that has scattered it's golden leaves all over the ground. You cannot see the grass beneath; everything looks golden.

I decide that it will be a great day in class.

It is Facilities Management again. We are to come up with a quiz for each class period. A random person is called, and they give their quiz to the class (and Brother Anderson takes it, too!). Today is different, however. We break off into groups of three or so and choose our top three questions from all three of our quizzes. I was in a group with Jason and Lark.

Here is an example of one of my questions:

3. Do you recall the mandatory fee for each membership/household?

a. $1,587.27 per month
b. $335 per year
c. There was no fee; that was just a rumor
d. $20 and a jar of mayonnaise for a lifetime membership

(b is the correct answer, by the way)


Anyway, we ended up using one of Jason's questions because he makes questions that are easier than either mine or Lark's.

Here is Brother Anderson, contemplating the answer to a question.

I don't think he knows when I'm taking pictures of him.

After class, I climbed up the stairs to go outside (this classroom is in a basement kind of room). It was snowing! It was so pretty, but I couldn't get a good picture of it for you. Later, I took a picture of some of the coneflowers after it had stopped.

It almost looks sad, does it not? That's what I thought at first. But, I started thinking about how everything goes to sleep in the winter. Some things do die. In the spring, everything either wakes up, or new things grow.

While I was thinking about these things, I thought about how the disciples, all those who followed the Savior, must have felt when he died. In the tomb for three days. I don't know what I would have thought.

The Savior is the victor over death. Winter doesn't last forever, and it helps me remember who I should look to for hope. In the end, spring comes, and life grows better after the most heavy of snowfall.

I've always liked the winter, I thought of it as a time of rest...but it sure isn't that way when you have horses to care for, is it? :)

Anyway, I love you guys, and I can't wait to see you the week after next!

I thought I'd be married by now

Well, it just goes to show that it's not just BYU-Idaho. This was from a popular magazine I saw at the checkout stand when I was purchasing green smoothie ingredients.

Another "interesting" item that someone was buying just ahead of me:


Green doughnuts? It's no longer "halloween" time, by the way. The boy did seem very excited about his purchase, though.

Don't you just wish you could be here shopping with me?