fraternity boys

   So, where I finished undergraduate there were definitely fraternities and sororities, I was aware of them, I knew they existed, but other than seeing a few streakers run out of their front doors and down the street (piedmont ave)  it really did not affect my life very much.
   Where I live right now, and the school I am studying at ...that is NOT the case.  I see greek like stereotypes everyday...and they are ACCURATE.  Sometimes I feel like this entire campus is teenage movie about college campus life, everyone is a jock, everyone wears neons, and sooo many people are in frats and sororities.  We also live on campus in married student housing which is sooo close to frat row. Furthermore the majority of the several of the girls in my clinical group/program are fresh out of sororities, I have no problem with them or anything I have just been made aware of what goes on.

    So today, when I found out my Saturday political door knocking job required me to be paired up with your typical Gainesvillian (a frat boy)...I rolled my eyes and tried to be friendly.  We had some interesting conversastion. I then told him that I was Mormon...and too my surprise he got pretty excited about it.  He said I was the first Mormon he had ever met...and had all sorts of sincere questions to ask me.  He was super positive about it, and seemed to be genuinely interested about knowing more.... so we spent most of the day talking about that...not really a doctrine based conversation...he was interested in food storage, and other random things, but it was positive.  So today, aside from seeing a different part of Gainesville and knocking on a lot of doors, I also decided that frat boys are not so bad annoying after all, but I will still give them dirty looks on the bus when they are dropping all manner of uncalled for vulgarity.

Also watched this tonight ...wonderful

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/general-relief-society-meeting/2012/09?lang=eng

also I have two BIG tests monday booo!

NPR

So, I love NPR, whenever I am in the car I listen to it.  I learn so much from it. However ever since election time...even primary time, it has become so biased...and openly...and offensively so that I am boycotting NPR until the end of elections. I know there are a lot of biased radio stations out there but, NPR is supposed to be public radio, and so they shouldn't be using there public radio power to be biased.
 I don't miss NPR too much because it seem I am in the car less and less. It might seem kind of silly just two people boycotting NPR...can't make much of a difference...so I thought.  But ironically last week in the mail we got forms to fill out for radio ratings,  you know those random things they send you in the mail and give you a few bucks to fill out and they use the data to decide ratings, so actually our boycotting NPR right now actually makes a difference...its kind of like a confirmation of our decision to boycott, and making it worth while.

some time for service

Today, I went to the Young Womens activity...because I am one of the leaders and that's what we do.  The activity that was planned was cancelled because we have (several but in this case one) elderly couple that are both in the hospital and seriously ill, and also have a seriously messy house...so messy that it poses serious health risks.  So we and many other members of the ward went in and cleaned up.  And well, I am feeling pretty good as a result.  Sometimes it is easy to think we are too busy to help, I do it all the time, but then after you do take a little time you remember why we serve...and why I should serve far more often.  I am not writing this because I want to brag, but as a good reminder to myself that  I am a lot more capable than I think I am, I think I can barely handle what I have on my own plate of school, church and the tiny bit of work I do.  But when you go and help someone that actually really can't handle what they have in front of them, it makes you realize how vulnerable each of us is, and how many people out there really need help with things that would be easy for me.

ALSO, today we moved clinical sites we are on a completely different floor and I am excited (but will miss pediatrics)

Also I bought some used pants ($5) that were of course huge on me (they say size 4 but definitely are not)...so I altered them and sort of restyled them.  First, I would like to make clear that I am NOT into sewing, its fun when you know what you are doing but I am much to careless/non-exact/non-mechanical for it.  I love when other people sew and I am always secretly jealous but its not likely you'll see me becoming a seamstress any time soon.  With that said...this is the finished product...a little weird looking I know I am not completely sold on them either. so here's the question fab or drab?

there is a breeze in the trees

Yes,  everyone is talking about Fall is here.  This is an especially wonderful change for us.  We decided last year that we were going to try and go the entire summer without ever turning on the air conditioning...AND WE DID IT!

Since we moved to this apartment last year we have not closed our windows one time (we have screens), it has been so wonderful (we are on the second floor so no one can see in), wonderful to be adjusted to the temperature outside, wonderful to be in tune to minor changes in the weather, wonderful to have fresh air, wonderful to appreciate a timely rainstorm or a cool breeze to break up the humidity.

I also had a test today which means that last night I stayed up until...5:30 am...it was terrible don't even ask me why I did it.  Hopefully I learned my lesson and I will plan a little better because I have two tests coming up next week.

Also the change in season reminds me of what we were doing last time during this time...when we were just married a month.  Last Fall we would buy a small pumpkin every week and make something out of it.  We just bought a little pumpkin today and probably I will make something out of it on Friday.  Friday is Paul's birthday, he wants a treat with no sugar (which includes honey molasses and all those things you could use instead...he gets a little crazy about being healthy sometimes, its a good thing) so what am I going to make...?

also I am painting this picture.

semalam...i call you

listening to this...while writing.
 Tomorrow we are going to special ceremony because Paul is getting a book award, which means that he had the highest grade in one of his classes (civ pro) and so we get to go to a special lunch.  It is going to be long, some would complain about it, but I plan on enjoying it and helping Paul get excited too after all he did work DANG hard, so its nice to get a little recognition (even if you don't get the internship).

Also our watermelon plant produced a watermelon...it didn't grow to 20 lb like it should have but we are going to be grateful for what we got (and there could be more on the way).  It WAS edible, and it was grown out of a bucket...so we are happy.  We were so excited about it that we posed with it.

Last, last kita dapat tau...
Have I told you we are reading the new testament for institute I love it so much, and I am trying to work on being nicer.  Specifically, there is someone that I am quite good friends with and has been driving me crazy recently.  Some people just love well defined and rock solid rules, well I am not one of them.  I am all for commandments things that are from higher up but silly rules about minute details like times, activities, traditions...we can all just be flexible about change and circumstances.  So anyway, I am have been so annoyed by this fault in the person, that I have been fault finding with the rest of their character...which leaves me as the one with the greater sin, so I am working on letting that go and being less bothered by others faults (because I have plenty of my own).  This goes back to the new testament in case you are wondering, it has been an excellent reminder to me of the Savior and what I should be doing and in this case not doing in order to be more like him.

now for the pictures we took

 circle of life

 the artist

 the athlete

 the awww

the not so creative

las but not least the octopus carrot...cute huh?

scrappers

I may have written about this before buuut, it has come up again.  So Paul, had a really awesome interview at a really awesome firm in miami that would pay him all sorts of awesome money for a summer internship there.  It was his best chance at one of those big firm jobs/internships.  We got so excited about his call back that we told quite a few people...well, news to today he didn't get it.  This was not his last interview, and he still has some good chances at other possible law firms, but you know this one was the best of all and had the best chances...sigh.  Its a nice reminder to me that we are going to be required to walk by faith for most of our lives and that's not necc. a bad thing, in fact many times in my life not getting what I wanted was the best thing for me, and turned out being much better in the long run than it would have been if I had got what I wanted.

Paul and I call ourselves scrappers, we joke about it, but its true as well.  Neither of us is hyper intelligent or talented.  We have a lot going for us but we are not the best or best looking.  Most of all though we are resourceful.  We are not afraid to take home leftovers (of anything), or use whatever if free.  We both work really hard in school (Paul more than me) and that sort of makes up for what we lack.  Our goals sort of revolve around making all this scrapping, saving, and making do amount to something tangible better in the end. So, not getting this internship was like...yeah of course not! its not going to come from the conventional easy path...but it WILL come, with continual sacrifice. (this is not something I am complaining about, i actually think its for the best)

ALSO ON NURSING SCHOOL...I am now authorized to give injections (SQ, IM, insulin, intradermal, and administer meds...and I might be forgetting another type of injection) these "skills" are not so exciting for the non nursing students, but after passing my check off I smiled all the way (about a 20 min walk) home....booya!

Here's being a scrapper in Indonesian...the girl was the internship...or its just a fun song :)

Tallahassee Florida

Yesterday we went to the state's capital because Paul had a call back interview with a law firm there.  We rarely leave Gainesville so it was a pretty special treat to get to go somewhere. We were ready on time and got there early thinking that the interview was at 2 pm, I even postponed my checkoff until Monday so that I could go with on time.  Well it turns out that his interview was supposed to be at 1pm instead of 2 pm :(
Its sad but what can you really do...we all make mistakes right?  He did the best he could and interviewed during the time he had left, but we are guessing that it was not meant to be because that is a pretty big mistake to make.

While Paul was interview, I got to see my DAD!  It just so happened that he was in Alabama this week and drove down to Tallahassee to see us for the few hours we were there.  I have not seen anyone in my family since my wedding last year so it was quite nice to see my dad and have some time to spend with him.  So gracious and generous to me are my family.  My dad is in particular extremely optimistic, it shows in his business and the way he lives his life and well its nice to have someone believe in us and remind us that they are confident in the path we are taking, we are of course confident as well, and confident that Heavenly Father is too, but it was nice to be around my dad's unfailing optimism for a few hours.

I brought my camera so we could take some pictures of the capitals (it is very nice there) but I just forgot...I am not a big picture person so I will take a few from the internet :)...ok I just looked and couldn't find any but, if you can imagine all the beauty of spanish moss and greenery that is Gainesville with some extra fancy buildings of being the capital...so elegantly southern was Tallahassee, even though it doesn't seen like we will be moving there any time soon, I would be happy to.

weakness

I have recently been thinking of ways I can improve certain parts of m that I have always thought were so intrinsically part of who I was that they were simply not for changing.  As I walked home and contemplated the future and how these traits and weaknesses  would interpret to more adult changes that lie ahead in my life.  I was feeling discouraged, I didn't know what to do and then I thought about this scripture its a pretty commonly quoted one and its understandable why.  

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

I feel like I am barely at the first step  I am just recognizing that my weakness can possibly to be changed, and I am feeling humbled in my lack of ability to change myself and thus acknowledge that it is only with my Heavenly parents help that I will be able to let go of these weaknesses in order strengthen those around me and my family. I felt as if a direct hand and voice were reaching down from heaven and telling me that these weaknesses were not to ensure that I failed and that my family failed but, instead to make sure that we could be successful at our eternal goals.

dumpster

I dropped my keys in the deep community dumpster ...all the way to the bottom...couldn't get into my house husband out of town...no one around to help...massive amounts of fly around, probably maggots inside it was horrible, and I got a few red ants nips while contemplating what to do.  Thank goodness for Jaimee who I ran and got with a broom stick and ingenuity we were able to get the gets out.barely, thank goodness for awesome neighbors.

why i am glad that i waited

Today during community some of my clinical group was talking about a friend of one of the girls whos long term live in boyfriend abruptly broke up with her apparently because she had been pressuring him to get married.  We started talking about relationships and such and I brought up the fact that I was a virgin when I got married.  For most of them this was a foreign concept, but it got me to thinking of all the reasons that I am glad that I waited until I was married to have sex.
so here goes my list

Sex is incredibly vulnerable and you are completely exposing yourself to that person both emotional and physically, I would not feel comfortable doing that with someone who was not committed to me in a big way

when one makes the relationship's physical aspect progress too quickly one the emotional non physical part of the relationship can very easily become stunted

sex does not always and does not have to lead to a baby BUT that is always a possibility, so don't have a sex with someone you don't want to possibly have a baby with

free from diseases.

makes your relationship with that one more significant,  the significance of being married added to the significance of being the only person you will ever do that with

when you don't sleep with boyfriends its ok to break up with them, you just shared some kissing...not a whole other huge emotional aspect of your life

your wedding day is that much more exciting

someone who is willing and wants to wait is someone who has exercised discipline an excellent attribute in someone who are trusting with your life and having children with

you get to feel clean, pure and know that you followed the commandments

of course there are other reasons but, I just wanted to write these while my mind was on this.

what to say...
it has been a crazy week.  Paul had interview in miami and some here this week he is going to portland. this week I also really need to buckle down and actually start studying for the semester.  Genetics stinks i hate it...i hate it all.  just kidding but i really dont feel like doing that or anything else but sleeping.  I have been just so tired recently everything makes me tired...everything...ive also been emotional just ask paul.  yesterday in young womens we had a lesson about refining our tastes and time...i need to do that so I am committing to use my time better for more important things...not wasting time mainly on the internet.  I also need to start practicing piano again, it funny because I have more time than I think but I just waste so much...and well media in general is pretty unfulfilling, so I am going to try and do things that will matter...this doesnt really count because it is like writing in my journal.  Today we went to a ward members house for labor day, it was nice, it was fun, paul got to horse around in the pool with some other men in our ward.  Also sunday evening we played games in the commons room with some friends that was fun.  Also I can officially insert a catheter...yay! so in other words I need to make some serious goals to keep myself on track