lately

PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND
I don't know why I put that in bold except for organizational purpose because I had a pretty non-bold President's Day weekend. It wasn't boring, just uneventful.  Did some shopping, worked on homework, read The Hunger Games again.  The highlight of the weekend was going to the Nickelcade for the first time. That was bundles of fun with Kimberly and Hilary!

MADISON LYNN WHITELEY
...is an absolutely adorable child with whom I am just smitten.  My good friend Amber was the first to get married out of us Oregon peeps and she is now the first to have a baby. Crazy grown-up time!  I visited them in the hospital last week and got to meet Madison for the first time.  Then last night I went over to hold her while mom got some things done.  So cute!

Meeting Madison

She fell asleep while I was holding her on Monday

Sheesh, if I'm this way with my friends' babies, what am I going to be like with my own children??  (Maybe it's because I attend a singles ward and live with single girls with no babies around...have more children, married friends!!! I need to get a dog or something to tide me over.)

ELDER ERICKSEN
My widdle brudda Spencer was called to the Salt Lake City South mission and reports to the MTC on April 25th!  I'm so proud of him and his decision to serve a mission for the LDS Church.
He had his 19th birthday on Sunday and, following tradition, my mom posted this on facebook:

Huppy Birfdee, Pencil!

IN OTHER NEWS...
I really love my job.

I went to my last home basketball game as a student of BYU.  It was senior night for the players and cheerleaders, so I felt like I was honored, too.  Jimmer made an appearance.  And we won.  Good last game!

photo cred to hilary

MISCELLANEOUS THINGS THAT I'M COUNTING DOWN TO

-Graduation!

{162 days}

-My family is going to Hawaii the weekend before finals week.  I have never been to the big island and we have great things planned, so it will be great.  It will also be our last family vacation before Spencer heads on his mission. 

{44 days}

-My roommates and I bought our tickets to the midnight showing of the"Hunger Games" movie!

{24 days}

-I also bought tickets for the Imagine Dragons concert at Velour.

{22 days}

-I will be 22 very soon!! [I accept both monetary and tangible gifts]

{10 days}

Hope you are having success beating the winter blues!

Dr. Benjamin Carson, BYU Forum

I'm going to work backwards chronologically because I don't want to forget what I learned today.
I just got back from the BYU forum with Dr. Benjamin Carson from John Hopkins Medical Center.  To give you an idea of how cool this guy is, his intro took a solid 6 minutes and included: came from a single divorcee mom home in Detroit, started out at the bottom of his class, 38 honorary doctorates, performed the first successful Siamese twin separation at the back of the heads, runs a scholarship program, just published a book.  Cool guy, to say the least.  He was really funny, too!  I was absorbed the whole time.  He talked about what his book contains: America the Beautiful, specifically how America can be improved just by emphasizing the importance of education.  Here are some highlights that I thought were so interesting:
-He talked about how an older guy had a hole drilled into the side of his brain and electric shocks at the right places helps the guy to recite a book verbatim that he read 70 years ago.  Did you know how incredible the brain was?  I thought I did.
-The Holocaust was successful because, even though people didn't agree with Hitler, they didn't have the courage to speak out. [Do I have the courage to speak out about what I feel isn't right?]
-THINK BIG: Talents, Honesty, Insight from people and good books, Nice, Knowledge, Books, In-depth thinking, God
-He went from the very bottom of his class to the top because his mom made him read and write about the books in a report every week.  Even though she couldn't read them.  [=READING IS SO CRUCIAL TO A CHILD'S SUCCESS!  That's what I've been saying!]
-A survey was taken in 2009 where children of a certain age in 22 different countries were given the same test of fundamental math and science questions.  They were ranked on the scores of the students.  Our country barely came in 21st place. Hmm.
-He and his wife started a scholarship foundation that awards students with excellent academic standing as well as involvement in humanitarian work. To learn more about his foundation click here
There are so many other things that I wanted to remember, and I regret not writing them down, but it was a great forum.

Je ne sais pas

It's all in French, so I have no idea what she's singing. BUT it's adorable so enjoy a little Thursday evening musique!
http://youtu.be/FsJWSDe44Uk

Conversion

I just got home from the temple and it was great having that chance to gain inspiration and peace.
In light of this trip, I wanted to share a poem that I had to write in my Romantic poetry class.  It was in honor of Wordsworth and his tendency to wander into nature then write what he feels about something in the past.  I came up with this and it turned out to be a personal poem.  But I'd like to share it with you.

Conversion

In a place visited as a girl
surrounded by others alike.
Peaceful memories hidden in loud.
Time to divide and reflect.
Tromped trail in golden pigtails,
knowledge in hand,
questions in soul.
Dirt gives way to color.
Color gives way to stream.
A large stone on the edge.
No boundaries, just sky.
Indulging a scene from Monet.
Open book, open heart, open air.
Breathe in joy, breathe out youth.
Inspiration that only requires time.

Completion of another year;
longing for the open air
to see what new light will appear.
Another division, another reflection.
One more time for Faith.
No person can share
what Nature has shared.
I only had to wait.

V-Day

Since I have been a negative Nancy on past V-Days, I have been trying to make it a day about celebrating love.  Love doesn't just have to be about loving your significant other.  I think it's about loving life.  Two years ago, I was hanging out in Dublin having the best time of my life.  I saw St. Valentine's ashes (supposedly).  And I had the best time with Annie and Sarah.  Last year, I rocked the embarrassing interview in the Daily Universe.  This year had to be good.  I love to sing and I love British people, so I sang at devotional and listened to a British man speak.  I ate dinner at the place I love (Red Robins yummm) with the roommates I love.  I forgot myself in service at a special needs home in west Provo. Where I got asked to be someone's valentine and danced.  Then I ate chocolate (which I love) and watched "New Year's Eve."  Pretty solid day of love.

ketchup

Time to catch-up!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do something that was on my bucket list: I shot a gun! A few of them, actually.  One of them was a Luger, or a semi-automatic pistol that was the standard issue for the Germans during WWII.  It is still in good condition, but, I mean, it could have been used during the war.

And another old Czechoslovakian-made gun (I think--it was old).  And then a new all-American gun.  I liked that one the best because it was like being in a movie.  So cool!

This last weekend, Anna came down to P-town and we went to Guru's for dinner (our fav). Then, with Anna being my scary movie buddy, we saw "The Woman in Black."  I'm bummed about not being able to see the play in London, but I'm half ok with not seeing it because I heard it was scaryyyy.  "Nerve-shredding," in fact.  But I liked the movie and I suggest it.

And I only thought about Harry Potter once...When he was having issues with opening a door, I whispered to Anna, "Alohamora!"  Would have solved all of his issues.  Too bad wizardry didn't convert over to scary movies.

I am loving my job as a TA for Dr. Mcfarlane.  It's a fun job and I love to work with the Dr.  

I am also loving my spinning class.  I'm glad that BYU added it recently because it is fun AND a superb work-out.  

Plus some baking and yummy stuff.  Plus crazy times in the 224.  The usual.

Have a lovely weekend!

xxx

ANXIETY FREAK OUT ATTACK AHHHH

I don't know what to do with all of these emotions inside my body right now, so I'm going to blog about it. That's a safe option, right?

About an hour ago, I sat down at my computer to calculate my last semesters as an undergrad.  I wanted to get a more accurate estimate on my graduation date since I've been telling people "I dunno" when they ask when I'm graduating.  And that doesn't seem too intelligent sounding, now that I think about it.  So yay for planning!

The reason I'm freaking out right now is the fact that I CAN GRADUATE SOONER THAN I HAD ANTICIPATED.  I was telling people "Well, I think like maybe next April or maybe even December" but, in reality, I have only 9.5 credits left until I'm finished. FINISHED. So I added some classes that I needed and I am planning on applying for graduation soon.  For August 2012.  I technically could graduate in June, but commencement is in August, anyways, and I don't want to cram my hardest credits into one semester.

I'm freaking out because as of 3:15 this afternoon, I had no plan.  Now things are starting to work out and the end is in sight. Like, literally, I can see it on my calendar.  

So the next freak out sesh I'm probably going to have is WHAT THE CRAP AM I DOING AFTER AUGUST 10TH???!!!  A common question among my peers, recently.  

Here is what will happen in Michelle's perfect world:

1. I will graduate with a sweet GPA and all that jazz.

2. I will have graduate programs from top-notch English schools just swarming for my application.

3. I will move back home to Oregon and start a sweet shop with my sister.  We will be yummy and so we will be rich.

4. Take a little time off for said business and money-making.  And maybe some traveling to foreign and exciting destinations.

5. Rock my graduate program.  Get published a bunch.  Be smart.

6. In the meantime, I will find a strapping young man who is smart and kind and we will fall hopelessly in love and get married. People will thank us for improving the gene pool of the world with our adorable little children.  

7. Write books that will make people want to make movies out of them and produce cheesy T-shirts with catchy slogans from my books. 

8. Visit family, continue baking, continue writing, etc. etc. etc. happily ever after.

Well. We'll just have to see how perfect Michelle's world really is after August 10th, 2012.