This blog seems to be turning into more of a once a month update than once a week or so update. But now that I have remembered to breathe, I will try to resurrect it.
Finals week was about as crazy as everybody said. I only had three finals, but it was enough to keep me busy studying. I had my last flute recital the saturday before finals. I played the first movement of Fantasie by Gabriel Faure. It is a very beautiful piece. Sometimes I feel sad that I am not going to pursue my flute further, but I know that it was the right decision to set it aside for a while. As much as I love playing beautiful music, I don't think I would be entirely happy as a professional musician.
My 4.0 has been ruined already. Thank you Social Dance. Yes. I have always been a horrible dancer, I tell my feet to go one way and they insist on going the other. If we were having a conversation it would go like this:
Me: Left foot please step back.
Right Foot: How come Left always gets to go first? It's not fair!
Left Foot: Right took my turn! I'll get you for that!
Me: Wait, which foot were you? Left. Left, stop stepping on my partner's toes, it makes me feel bad.
Left: You forgot my name again! Surely you should remember your own feet's names. I am insulted!
Me: Sorry. Now Right, go forward then right and stay on your toes.
Right: Ooh, but look over there!
Me: No. No. You're supposed to go right. Left, you follow.
Left: I refuse. I can make my own decisions. I think I will slide right here instead.
Teacher: "Don't look at your feet. They will still be there."
Me: (snort) FAT chance...
It has been a great first semester and I will certainly miss some of my classes. However, it is very nice to be home with my family and to take a break. I have spent most of it reading since I have had almost no time at all to read my own books at college. Some suggestions for you if you get bored this Christmas:
The Rent Collector (Camron Wright): This book is about a young mother living in the dump in Cambodia. She has several run ins with the grumpy, drunk rent collector. In pursuing a way to raise her family out of poverty and ignorance the woman discovers that the rent collector has some stories of her own. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE.
Mistwood (Leah Cypess): This is a clever fantasy about a girl who is supposed to be "the shifter", an ancient force of nature meant to protect the royal family. However she has no memory of her past lives and she knows that the current prince is lying to her about something...
Unwind (Neal Shusterman): This book is a thought provoking science fiction about the sanctity of life. In the futuristic setting, abortion is illegal, but unwanted children can be left on somebody else's doorstep where the new family is required to keep it. And to make up for it, parents can sign away children between 13-18 to be unwound, to be organ donors, like the three main characters. Lev is a tithe, signed away by his parents as an act of piety. Risa is a ward of the state, that they can't afford to keep. And Connor is a rebellious teenager who's parents don't know how to handle him. These three come together to survive and fight back in a world that doesn't value them for themselves. Because there must be something more than flesh. How else does a truck driver's hand know card tricks he never learned, or a boy's brain remember a place he's never been? Okay. So this book sounds creepy, but it is really amazing and well put together. My mom and I both loved it and highly recommend it.
These are just a few of our favorites recently, so enjoy!
I also have loved coming back to my homeward. Freshman singles wards are interesting... It's a good ward, and often the teachers are great, but I really love my home ward. At home there are so many people who are so much wiser and have lots of amazing thoughts to contribute that I don't get to hear in the singles ward. I am friends with a lot of the people in my home ward, and it's nice to sit around people that I've known for a long time, even if I never talk to them. And then there's the little kids. I love little kids. They can be kind of noisy sometimes, but I love how fun and sweet they are. Life is so much less exciting without kids around all the time.
I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Always remember how much Christ loves you.
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