Picking a Major

Fellow students, there is hope.  If you are like how I was when I first came to college, with no idea what I was to do with my life/schooling/career, I'm telling you now that it will happen. I can say this with confidence because I have had quite the journey.  Let's start with that.
When I was 14 years old, I discovered design shows on TV. And I fell in love.  I wanted to be an interior designer.  When I got to BYU, I was uncertain with how I was to accomplish this career goal, the Interior Design program no longer offered at BYU.  Originally, I planned on just doing the Music program and going to LDSBC for getting my Interior Design degree. Then I realized that the BYU Music program=death.  I thought that I was one of those really devoted music people, but compared to those people, I'm not even close.  That's why it's now my minor.
What to do next? what. to. do.  It's practical to go the business management course, then LDSBC for Interior Design, that way I can get the business aspect of the trade.  So I gave it a semester.  In a word, that was heck.  Statistics AND economics? What was I thinking?  I know so many people who love that and get that, but it turns out I'm not one of them. At all.
Next.
I left the country for 4 months. The cultural and informational download that I experienced there threw my major decision into a frenzy.  Like someone kicked a bees' nest.  I still loved architecture and the buildings in Europe are all so beautiful.  Continue with Interior Design? I discovered a love for art.  Art History?  I love to travel and to be emmersed in new cultures. International Relations?  Anthropology?  I spent a whole afternoon with Annie planning my schedule around Industrial Design.  After looking at the requirements and seeing multiple Physics and Calculus classes, my mind quickly changed again.
I had a summer to think about it.  I'm a Junior now. I've GOT to make a decision, already.
I took a class online for English.  I like to write. I love to read.  Can't go wrong with English, right?  Right, as it turns out.
And I LOVED it.  I still love it.  (See previous blog post)
The end.

Moral of the story and my advise to you: do what you love. Cut the practicality crap. Who cares if I'm going to have to go to grad school in order to really go anywhere with this with what I want to do?  And I can still decorate things, just not for a career.

STEPS TO ACQUIRING THE RIGHT MAJOR FOR YOU:

1. Whatever school you're at or currently interested in attending, print out or acquire a list of majors offered at the school.  Then go to town with process of elimination, baby.  Get a color-coated rating system down.  Highlight in different colors which ones you are definitely interested in, then use a different color for possible majors and then cross out the ugly, no-good-for-you majors.  Just get 'em outta the way.  Trust me, this helps.  Do this after each semester, too, because you're choices will most likely change a little bit.

2. Make lists.  Things that you're good at.  Things that you suck at.  Things that you could see yourself doing.  Things that you love to do for fun.  Let it loose, don't be shy or humble.  In fact, play your skills up as much as you can.  No one's going to read this. You discover lots about yourself.

3. If you're already in college, go to the advisement center.  Those people are literal professionals at this.

4. Start with General Ed classes.  They have such a wide range of subjects, you're bound to find a class that you like the most.  Annnnnd the classes that you don't like so much. 

5. Be open-minded.  I continually had English in the back of my mind, but I pushed it back (stupid practicality).  Go out and learn new things.  Don't do what you did in high school and stick with the people/activities/classes that everyone else did.  You are your own person and no one else can make this decision for you, so don't do what everyone else is doing.  Go to a play or musical.  Visit an art museum.  Take a ceramics or raquetball.  Get involved with a club on campus.  You can only discover what you're really good at by trying lots of different things.  Hey, you WILL find out what you're bad at, too. Plus, it makes for a fun college experience.

6. Trust yourself.  There's a reason you are where you are or you're going where you're going.

Good luck!

Mi casa es su casa.

I will board a flight in about 7.5 hours from now that will take me to my most favorite state in all of the United States=OREGON. 
Annie and I jumped up and down like little girls last night. 
Tonight I get to see: My mom (it's been about 3 weeks), the rest of my family (3.5 months), my dog (3.5 months), and my bestie Seth Hall (it's been about 2.5 years. NBD.)
I'M SO EXCITED THAT I CAN'T BREATHE OR FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{I heart Oregon}

Kristin Wiig demonstrates how I feel perfectly:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/114930/saturday-night-live-surprise



Best 2 weeks of the semester: Part One

Ok, so I might be a little presumptuous in assuming that next week will be the second part of the best 2 weeks of the semester, but, come on, this is what I get to look forward to: 
-going back to Oregon in two days. That place is the best and I really really miss it. Especially since today it started snowing in Utah. Joy.
-seeing my BFF Seth for the first time in about 2.5 years.
-hanging out with Annie, Seth, Lindsay and Hayley just like old times (and eating Annie's cookies)
-my wonderful family.  My sister told me that she's really excited for me to come home because we're going to eat a lot and fall into a food coma. And repeat. Love her.
-my puppy.
-seeing HPATDH again.

Speaking of HPATDH, this is what part one was like.
SUNDAY
I made my first casserole with my roommate Kelly.  We're so...Mormon mommy now.

{Brett and Kelly enjoying our Casserole}

Also that night was my Crepe-a-Palooza/Freshmen girls' reunion partay.  I ran into Audrey on campus last week and we talked about how much we miss the girls. So I planned a party full of sugar and talking.  It was really fun being able to catch up on the latest and greatest. 

Remember this?

{hikes + Morgan's Hummer}

{tie-dying}

{Halloweenie}

{model Sundays}

..and we kept with the oven picture tradition:

{two years later...}



WEDNESDAY

I went to the Sara Barielles concert with my good friend, Amber Whiteley and then Linds and her roommate came later.  Another thing checked off my bucket list.  I've been wanting to see Sara in concert since "Love Song" came out forever ago.  It was really fun, even with the mean ladies behind us. When you're in a crowded concert hall and you're sitting down in an area that has a pretty good view and more space than any other section in that area, YEAH you're not going to be able to see and YEAH people are going to crowd your space. You should've seen it coming and stood up and claimed your territory.  And stop whining about it.

Anyways...she played all my favorites from both of her albums and the band was so laid back and talented.

{Lindsay, me, Amber}

{I want to grow up to be Sara Barielles someday}



THURSDAY

It's the night I've been waiting for for a looonnng time. 

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1

midnight showing.

{camping out}

{notice the Hogwarts sign on our sweaters}

{Leslie/Hermione, Cam/Harry, Me-just heading to Hogwarts. NDB.}

I'm not going to write anything else about it because I'm afraid I won't do it justice.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

I met up with my Grandma Ericksen in SLC for dinner at Olive Garden and then Time Out For Women.  The only way I know how to describe it is it has the same layout as EFY, only it's for Relief Society.  There are speakers and musical performances both Friday night and most of Saturday.  My favorite speaker, though they were all good, was Mariama Kallon. She talked about her life while growing up in war-torn Sierra Leon and how she found the church and then served a mission for the church.  It was a heart-wrenching story that just wanted me to go down to Sierra Leon and bring everyone the Gospel and then bring them to America, away from the horrible things that they had to see.  She's a delightful woman who just loved life and wanted everyone to know that God truly knows every single one of us, no matter where/who/when we are. 

{Salt Palace in SLC}

Whenever I see a picture or learn about the lives of those who lived in, say, the 17th or 18th centuries, I wonder why I wasn't born then.  It would have been so cool to wear big dresses and hair and ride in carriages and go to balls.  But then I realize that I love indoor plumbing and heating and not wearing a corset. Also, I have weeks like this and realize that I'm so lucky to be alive. Now. In 2010.  And I'm surrounded by amazing people who understand me and still want to be my friend.  And I can go to school and not get in trouble for it.  And fly home to my family during the holidays.  And have the fullness of the Gospel in my life and the immense amount of blessings that come with it. 

I'm ready for Part Two.

October

{HOT COCOA PARTY}

{FOOTBALL GAMES}

{PARENTS' WEEKEND}
My momma came to visit me for Parents' Weekend at BYU.  She came in to visit me at work and came to my classes. Except Spanish.  There's this ongoing dispute, you could say, in my family about Spanish and French.  My dad is fluent in Spanish and my mom is fluent in French. So when the time came for each child to choose one of them to study at school, my parents would ask us questions like: "Which parent is your favorite?"  Well, I chose Spanish, but I am no respector of persons, er, parents. So we were sitting in Spanish class, and my mom makes it for about 5 minutes until she stands and leaves, muttering, "I don't understand Spanish".  hahaha.  We went shopping, saw "The Hereafter", and ate out at Bajio. 

Saturday, we walked the 5K, sat in the rain at the football game like true blue Oregonians, and did some more shopping.  That night, we saw "The Magic Flute" opera.  It was my first opera, and it was quite the experience!  That night, I introduced my mom to Sammy's milkshakes.

Sunday, she went to church with me and then she let me win at Scrabble.  It was such a fun weekend and I was so happy to see her.

I love my momma.

{INGRID MICHAELSON}

Can I just say, she's so amazingly incredibly awesome.  After waiting in the rain/snow/wind/sleet for 1.5 hours, we got to stand on a platform in the back of the room.  But it was worth it. She's a great performer and tells funny stories.

{Ali-Kelly-Cortney-Abby-Me}

{HALLOWEENIE}
Friday, I dressed up for work as a peacock.  That night, I had a girls' date night with Anna.  I tried Guru's for the first time (YUM!). Also, Anna had her ballet audition that day and found out that SHE GOT IN!! So we went to Cupcake Chic to celebrate. Then, scary movie night with "The Haunting of Molly Hartley"!! (critique=pretty good/freaky until the end. Baaaad ending)

Saturday, Anna, Michelle (her roommate), and I went to a party, where I dressed up as Miss Scarlet from the game Clue. We were going to go to another party, but then we realized how hungry we were, so Taco Bell Fourth Meal it was.
While we were at T-Bell, there were other kids there dressed up as soccer players and lifeguards.  The soccer player totally gave me the up-down and said, "niiiice".  Ok...so I continued to check out the menu, couldn't decide what I wanted.  Then the lifeguard said: "I like your pearls."  I looked at him and replied: "Oh, thanks. I like...your...shorts."  Those guys were interesting.  Oh Halloween.

Absolution

Mi amiga y roomie Annie Spackman is in the Accounting program here at beewhyewe. Since she's smart and stuff, she gets the Wall Street Journal every day.  What's nice about her receiving this newpaper is that it is a re-usable resource and so I can read it, too.  Yesterday, she directed me to an article that was eye-opening for me and thus slightly embarrassing/shocking/true.  It's about an issue that has risen with our technologically-based generation.  Maybe.  It's short, so you should read it, but for the impatient, it's about how our society's interactions have been affected by the word "maybe". "Maybe I'll go on that date with you", "I dunno, maybe I could go", "I'm not sure, I might be able to go".  I am so annoyed by those people. I had a party at my place about a month ago that I sent an invite for through Facebook.  out of the 40 people that I invited, only 21 answered definitively (18 yes, 3 no).  The rest were maybes or awaiting replies.  This really really bugged me.  You couldn't take the time to make a decision?  If you can't come, you can't come. If you genuinely don't know, then it's fine to hit maybe. But 18 who didn't even hit maybe? Thanks.
I was thinking about this and realized that I do the SAME THING.  Oh, dear...
For example, last week a friend invited me to play broomball with a group that night.  I already had some plans and I don't like broomball to begin with, BUT I didn't know about my plans for sure and I didn't want to be rude, so I answered: "I'm not sure, it depends on how things work out tonight".  Not a definitive answer. Non-committed answer.  Wussy answer.  So a couple of hours later, while I was doing the plans that I was working on when she texted me, she texted me again: "Michelle, what are you doing tonight?"  Now, texts are ambiguous a lot of the time, but that was pretty straight-foward.  Translation: "Michelle, stop being wishy-washy and tell me if you are going with us tonight or not. Come on."  Ooops.  And you wonder why she hasn't talked to me since?  Because I'm a wuss who doesn't want to step on any toes! 
So, my resolution is to stop being a maybe person.  I'm going to make a decision and communicate that decision effectively. 

Maybe.