Sunday, August 18, 2019

Finals and Friendships

12 August - 18 August

Hey! What a week! Life is such a roller-coaster; it is a fact of life! This week had its ups and downs, but as I reflect over my week, I can't helped but feel so blessed, overall. I didn't really take any pictures this week, so I took two blurry screen-shots from the videos I took of me ice skating!

Monday
Last day of classes finally arrived! Hooray! But also yikes. On the bright side, I didn't have to go in for work at 5am because I wasn't hired back at my custodial job (after being fired so I could work ACT camp). I went in around 7:30am to pick up the paperwork to fill out in order to get re-hired. I had my last class for the summer! We presented our research project, which was really cool. Ours was one of the few experiments that actually found an effect! For Family Home Evening, our wards combined out on the church lawn, eating pizza. I went for a bit but didn't stay long because I couldn't have the pizza.

Tuesday
I had work this morning. Blah. But at least I got a raise so I'm now making $12 an hour! Valerie was actually up before me, finishing packing up. I gave her a big hug goodbye, and she left on her way back to AZ for graduate school. Farewell, my sista sista! Also, I had my interview this afternoon to be a TRC actor. I think it went well, but we'll see what they tell me in two weeks... Right after, I rushed to campus for the test review. I haven't been motivated to study for my final tomorrow, so I figured attending the TA's review would help. Then I left a bit early to head over to the MFT Q&A session at the Taylor building. I studied for a bit that evening.

Wednesday
I left from work a bit early to give myself some more time to finish studying. I felt ready. I was also just dreading it. But I finally went and took my final. I was unsure about some, but I just needed a B. Well, miraculously I ended with a 95%. So yeah, that was a blessing! Afterwards, I went ice skating with Lexy. She was kind of afraid to skate, since she fell and hurt herself last time, but I think she enjoys going. That evening, I helped her roommate, Amy, to move her stuff to a new apartment!

Thursday
During work this morning, I found a card in the trash that had some free lunches at the Cannon Center still on it. It belonged to another Volleyball player. I asked the secretary if I could use it, and she said, "Sure! I would, if I were you!" So I got a free lunch at the Cannon Center! Unfortunately, they didn't have many options for me, so besides some fruit and gluten-free desserts, the only thing I could eat was a hamburger patty. Plain. Well, I did put some ketchup on it. That evening, I had a date from a guy I met on Mutual. We went slacklining, which was super hard, but I was slowly getting the hand of it. It's similar to walking on a tightrope (not that I've ever done that), but the line is flat and slack (so it bounces and wobbles a ton when you walk on it).

Friday
After work, I ate a bit of breakfast. When I went down to the Cannon Center for lunch, I was told that my card had expired. Noooo! So sad, but also it's fine because it wasn't actually mine to begin with and I already received one free meal. But then I didn't know what to eat, so I went home and researched recipes to print off to make my very own cook book, once and for all. Hopefully I can get into a better habit of cooking for myself! I went ice skating that afternoon and truly feel that I am slowly improving! I had Whitney and her roommate, Megan-Jean, over for dinner. I made Tex Mex Chicken and Zucchini. It was alright (not as good as I was hoping) but I don't know if I cooked the chicken long enough... oopsies.



Saturday
I slept in, but then woke up and got ready to attend the temple. While I was sitting in the endowment room, I thought to myself, "How is me being here helping me to become a better person? What do I need to learn?" I am trying to develop that attitude about everything I do, because I know that more importantly than doing is becoming. I'm not sure if I got anything new and revelatory out of it, but I'm grateful that I am at least becoming more conscious. I took it super easy the rest of the day because I didn't feel like doing anything. I'm so burnt out from attending school for 7 months straight, not giving myself a real summer break. With Fall semester starting in two weeks, I hope that if I do nothing and am super lazy, then I will get sick of doing nothing and will be motivated to go hard this Fall semester!

Sunday
I awoke around 5am feeling awful. I went to the kitchen to get water and take some medicine, and I almost blacked out! I sat on the kitchen chair for approximately 15 minutes, waiting to see if the medicine had helped, then went back to bed. I got ready for church and really enjoyed sacrament meeting today. I felt God speaking to me and guiding me during the talks, and I even felt like the hymns were picked out just for me. I'm grateful to renew my covenants and have a fresh start every week. I really needed that today. Then I taught Sunday School. I didn't feel that it was my best ever, but I still received some compliments and know the Spirit is the real teacher anyway, as long as I try my best. Plus, you got to cut yourself a bit of slack whenever you aren't feeling very good. I was invited to attend someone else's Come, Follow Me study group in the afternoon, and it was different that what I was used to, mostly because I felt a bit uncomfortable from not knowing everyone super well.

One scripture that really stuck out to me this week is found in Romans 13:8-10.

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

I took this to meant that if I had perfect love, I would not break any other commandment. I would have no desire to steal, kill, or lie if I perfectly loved others. I would take better care of my body if I perfectly loved myself. Thus, if there is a commandment we are breaking, we need to figure out how it relates to the principle of love and work on that aspect of love. If we pray for charity and love in the specific aspect in which we are failing, God will help us overcome that weakness by growing our ability to love. 

Much love,
Emily Burnham

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