Uni Riding

 18 January - 24 January 2020

This was a great week! 

Monday through Wednesday, I rode my electric unicycle around outside. It's so fun to ride it up the paved hills up to BYU campus. I spent a lot of time working, answering student questions, extending due dates, all that fun stuff. In fact, even though Monday was a holiday, I spent the whole day working as a TA and working on homework. I also started watching this new show on BYU TV called Malory Towers, which I am really enjoying. This week, I was also able to bear my testimony of how my Savior has helped me through so many of my weaknesses and trials. He has changed me and the way I think about things so that I have more peace. I am so grateful to Him and to my Father in Heaven.

Since receiving my first rejection letter from BYU's graduate program, I have been re-thinking my future this week. When I study my scriptures, my mind is filled with ideas and hope for what I might do, and I feel more free and excited about my future, and also SO excited to be a mom. I do feel worry when I think about where I am going to be six months in the future, because I honestly don't know, but then I am reassured by God that He has a plan for me and will not lead me astray. I am going to love my future and be happy whatever I do.

During my class on Tuesday, I felt the Spirit so strong as we talked about the different but very important roles that mothers and fathers both play in the emotional, social, spiritual, and mental development of their children. They form attachments to their children differently, and the mother clings close to the child and steps in to help them while the father stands back and encourages the child to succeed. Both roles are so so important in raising a healthy child. Also, I found out from my sister that she bought a plane ticket to come visit me on our birthday weekend, which I am SO excited about! I literally teared up with joy when she told me.

On Thursday, I had a meeting with Diane, the dietician who has been helping me figure out the amount of calories that I should be eating and to make sure I get the nutrients I need. I scheduled an appointment to meet with the BYU health center, and I'm planning on getting tested for Celiacs Disease and food allergies. I want to grow healthier. This week I've learned a lot about pregnancies in my family life classes, and an important aspect of a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby is how nourished and healthy the mother is, and I want to be in the best shape for having my children and raising them.

Friday: My roommate messed with our wifi and it wouldn't work, so I went on campus and then met up with Whitney and went to her apartment to do homework assignments.

Saturday: I went shopping and then got home in time for my date with Braeden. Before he showed up, I had cleaned up the kitchen and living room and hid the scorpion sucker in the utensil drawer. When he came, I helped him make up some chicken and sweet potatoes. He taught me how to beat box and my roommates met him (very briefly). Then, while waiting for the food to be done, I showed him my electric unicycle, and he was so impressed and wanted to try it, so after the food was done cooking, we went out to the parking lot, then to the duck pond in the grassy areas, for him to practice riding around. Then I challenged him to a race up the ramp to campus, me on the uni and him on foot. He beat me, of course, since that thing does not go all that fast. But it was fun. Then we went back and ate some of the food date and cleaned up the dishes. I knew the end of the date was coming up and he hadn't mentioned the sucker. I am SO proud of myself for what is coming next... I took a pan to the sink and started washing it. Then, very casually, I asked, "Can you do me a favor and grab me a fork out of that drawer over there?" He agrees, of course, and then opens it. He sees the sucker and looks back up at me with this mix of amazement and horror and excitement and terror. I got him so good! He asked if I still needed a fork, and I said nah, I just wanted to trick you. So then he ate the scorpion sucker (we got a video of it) and he was actually pretty terrified. But he did it! And we tried those AZ cactus candies my mom bought for us to try, which were surprisingly really good. In the evening, I watched the movie Knives Out, and I did NOT like all the frequent cussing, but I did enjoy the plot twist and being surprised by the ending.

Sunday: I sat by a cute boy at church today! The bench next to him was the only empty one and so I lead my roommates to it. And it was funny because I noticed he was copying my body language, so I occasionally changed my position (legs in front, legs underneath, arms crossed, hands on my lap, etc.) and then noticed as he unconsciously copied my position a minute later. Right after church ended, he immediately started talking to me and got to know me and my roommates. I could tell he was interested in me, and once we were outside, I took off my mask, and later he did too and I saw how cute he was (and yes, he was pretty tall). So that's exciting! I also drew a picture of Christ. I saw a video of an elder who drew portraits of Christ to help him overcome his addictions and troubles, and it inspired me to want to draw Him too, even though my talent of drawing is not as good. Afterwards, I was invited to play Balderdash with my roommate and her sister and their boyfriends.

Favorite quote of the week: "I made you gluten-free cookies. Wait, does flour have gluten?"

Much love,

Emily Burnham

It's a Bird! It's a plane! No, it's Covid!

 11 January - 17 January 2021

Monday: Classes started today. I just had physical science (I know, I can't believe I procrastinated taking it until my last semester at BYU... I didn't mean to put it off, but it just didn't fit well into my schedule before.

Tuesday: Well, to answer my question posed last week (is it a cold, or covid????).... it was covid!!! Tuesday morning, I went down to the Richard's Building to take the entry testing Covid19 test that BYU is requiring all students take. One hour later, lo and behold, I get my results back... so that was a bummer! I had to cancel some plans that I had to get my car jumped and my battery checked, and to go shopping. But at the same time, I was feeling rather fatigued and it was nice to just rest and relax since I had to be in quarantine anyway. I met my new roommate Claire today. She had moved in all her stuff, but then was gone and then got back today. She is very kind and fun, and I'm excited for the opportunity to get to know her better. 

Wednesday: Classes are going pretty well. I am only taking four this semester, since that's all I need to graduate, and two of them are on-demand remote. I didn't really like my teacher for my human development class after I met her last night on Zoom, and then I realized I could switch sections to get a new teacher. So that's what I did! I found a teacher who I like much better (you can tell by watching their recorded videos) and now I am feeling very content about all of my courses that I am taking. I like my teachers and the content. Even physical science is very interesting, but it just requires me to think in a different way than what I am used to. But I think I am finally beginning to understand Einstein's space-time theory. Maybe. Sorta. Kinda? Just don't ask me to explain it to you... haha. I've been feeling worse than ever so far because I've had a constant headache that is on the edge of being a migraine. I've been super cold and have very flushed cheeks, but thank goodness for blankets.

Thursday: Well, I got my rejection letter from BYU, and I can't say that I'm surprised. I had a feeling that was not where the Lord wanted me to go, though if I'm being honest, it's never fun to feel rejected. I feel a little lost because I've had my life "figured out" since a young age (being a counsellor) and now I am facing the very real possibility that I won't be accepted into graduate schools. I only applied to two schools, and if one has already rejected me, my odds are not good. But furthermore, I haven't felt good about it anymore. Like God has something else in store for me. So I've been doing some thinking and soul searching. What do I really want to do with my future? Where do I see myself?

Friday: My other roommate Megan moved in today. She delayed moving in since I had tested positive for covid. She seems very nice and knows Claire well since Claire trained her on her mission. It seems like I will have some great new friends this year! My headache has been present for the last couple of days but finally died down today. 

Saturday: I am officially out of quarantine today! So what did I do? Jumped my car and took it down to Sam's Club to get my battery checked. They said it tested good and then recommended getting the alternator tested at Autozone, so I did. Autozone said my alternator was good and recommended getting the longer test at Sam's Club, so I went back and had them recharge my car and test it (which takes an hour). I did some shopping and then looked around at Ross. Finally, they finished and said my battery said it was fine (which was frustrating because why then does it keep dying on me??). But they said my back left tire had a puncture on the shoulder, which was in an area that couldn't be patched and so I would have to get a new tire. Bluahdhflsdkhfa'slhkd!!!!! So then I had to drive down to Discount Tire to have them check my tire and see what they could do. I was started to get a headache at this point, so I walked down and got some fries from Wendy's while I waited. Blessedly, the guy said the puncture wound was just within the boundary of where they could patch it, so I wouldn't need a new tire! BLESSED! So, a total of four hours later, I finally arrived home in a working car (that hopefully remains working). I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 9pm.

Sunday: I got to go back to church today! I felt the Spirit comforting and inspiring me today. I feel so free and hopeful about my future. I have learned some important things about myself--that because I like learning and synthesizing information and creating new things, I would probably enjoy a research grad-school track. I would get to learn new info and then have the opportunity to apply it in creative ways to help parents with their kids and strengthen relationships. That thought is opening up pathways for my future that I am excited about. Furthermore, I realized that I have taken the council of church leaders regarding dating too literally. When they have counselled us to "date seriously, not just hang out," I think I internalized that as "act serious on dates." I try to seem smart and mature and, well, serious. But I am just realizing that I need to BE fun in order to HAVE fun, which is what I want. I want to have a fun, enjoyable life, and that includes being adventurous and trying new things. Laughing and joking and having a fun, silly time. The "getting to know the person" will come along after that, but you first want to know you can have fun with someone and genuinely enjoy being in their company.

Much love,

Emily Burnham 

Cold or Covid?

 4 January - 10 January 2021

Well, there's not much to report on this week. I came down sick with a cold (at least that's what I hope it is) and have been sleeping a lot and taking it easy. I've watched a lot of movies, taken a lot of naps, and eaten lots of rice and chicken. I also spent more time than ever working because I have two online classes to get ready before the semester starts. In addition to TAing for PSYCH 381, I am also TAing for PSYCH 308 this semester. I am very pleased with the work I have done, as are my professors. I am feeling very competent in my job, which makes me feel good because when I first started the job, I was definitely in the mindset of "fake it 'til you make it." But yeah, I worked five hours on Monday, four hours on Tuesday, and then had two work meetings on Thursday.

On Friday evening, Whitney came over to visit me. We played Harry Potter Code Names and talked. On Saturday, I filmed two videos for my YouTube channel. Also, Jackson Tobler stopped by with all my stuff from AZ! So now I have a robot vacuum, lots of citrus, and an electric unicycle! (Though I need to get better before I go out riding on it). 

I stayed home from church on Sunday since everyone is like, "If you have any symptoms of Covid19 or are feeling sick, STAY HOME!!!" So I didn't want to be a hypocrite. I haven't been able to smell or taste things the past couple of days, and I am very congested, but I haven't had a fever. 

Despite a crummy week physically, I did have some marvelous spiritual insights. The definition of "wisdom" is "applied knowledge." We are to gain as much knowledge as we can, and then God can help us know how to apply the knowledge we gain. With Joseph Smith, he had to study out all the religions on his own and read in the Bible. Then he went to God because after gaining all that knowledge, he still lacked the key to applying it in order to know which religion to join. God was able to give him the answer. In my life, sometimes I feel like God isn't strongly directing my life like I hear with other people, but perhaps that is because I have a gift of wisdom and readily apply my knowledge. God trusts me to continue on and make my own choices if I am doing good, and He is there to give me wisdom when I lack it. It's all about striking a balance between acting for ourselves and turning to God.

Much love,

Emily Burnham

New Year's Resolution

 28 December 2020 - 3 January 2021

My new year's resolution for 2021 is to "meet Christ in the scriptures" and my gift to my Savior is to give Him my full attention.

Monday: I helped mom clean up the house in preparation for Aaron's birthday party in the evening. I also frosted some delicious looking cupcakes! For his party, we made up a ton of home-made pizzas for everyone who came and then Valerie was in charge of the games. She did "Tonight Show" games. She is great at planning and running events. Mom was really grateful for the help I gave. People stayed LATE at the party, past 11pm, playing spike ball outside!

Tuesday: I slept in late this morning. I guess the party wiped me out! Since mom got a new robot vacuum for Christmas, she and dad said I could have their old one! So she taught me how to empty it out and cleaned it up for me. Then we went to Deseret Book so I could get some new garments. Also, I needed to make a return of Aaron's present (he already bought himself lightbulbs that work with Alexa, so he didn't need the one I got him for his birthday) so I went into Kohl's to return it. After waiting in a line of about 6 people, I get to the front only to learn that the line for Amazon returns is in another part of the store! So I had to go and get in that line behind another 5 or 6 people. Oh well. Also, can I just note how much I miss AZ sunsets?

Wednesday: An idea came to me to create a "challenge book" for Lucy, Valerie, and my mom. They always like to start health challenges/diets and compare the number of steps they have taken. I thought it would be a great idea to have a book where the challenges are all positive (as in, "Eat 5 cups of vegetables today" as opposed to "Don't eat any sugar"). I also included mindfulness/self-compassion challenges and physical challenges. Mom really liked it! And Val thought it was cool too! I made banana bread and everyone scarfed it up! They thought it was so so yummy! It was also gluten and dairy-free ;). I think my brother Aaron was surprised that I knew how to bake such good things.

Thursday: I spent the morning working on a painting of Jesus Christ to give my mom. We also discovered that two baby chickens hatched out! They are SO SO SO cute! One of them likes to hide under the mom's wing and then peek her head out at us. I also went on a unicycle ride this week with Dad and Lucy to Zanjero park. Dad took us out to dinner at Garcias to celebrate New Year's Eve! The food was SO yummy (I maayyy have asked for them to keep on the jalapeno cream cheese on my steak fajitas). I played video games with Lucy but otherwise we didn't do that much else as a family to celebrate that evening. That was okay with me. It's been a busy couple of weeks, so having a relaxed evening was good.

 

Friday: It's been nice sleeping in over the break! In the afternoon, my dad drove Valerie, Lucy, and me to Discovery Park and we all rode around on the electric unicycles. The park was so crowded! The sun was out and it was a pretty warm day. Plus, people are probably sick of being stuck inside all day because buildings are shut down or restricted due to covid19. We had a lot of fun riding around, going up and down hills, and playing around. One girl asked to try riding on Lucy's uni, so we helped teach her. Then, my dad said I could bring up the unicycle I was riding on to Utah because it's an older model that doesn't go as fast and the other kids don't really use it. So when Jackson brings up my stuff, he's going to bringing me up an electric unicycle AND mom's Deebot (vacuuming robot). 

Saturday: I thought staying up late would make traveling go by quicker, but mostly I was just a hot, fumbling mess. Even the airport security guard commented on it and sent me to "line 1" because that's where he sent all the "people who are a mess in the mornings." Yikes, haha. Getting up at 4:30am didn't used to be so rough, but then again, I was going to bed at 8:30pm back in those days ;). My supervisor for BYU Online, Shelly, picked me up from the airport. She also had a sweet gift for me! A picture of Christ and a girl, a candle, and a heavenly-smelling bath bomb. I got to my apartment around 8:30am and went back to bed! I slept for a couple of hours, then got up and unpacked. I left that afternoon to go shopping, but my car refused to start. The battery was a gonner from the cold and not being used for over a month. I asked around, but wasn't able to get ahold of anyone with jumper cables. My friend Lacee offered to take me to the store in her car, which was a huge blessing. Then we talked after and I showed her my new Harry Potter code names game, which she loved! That evening, I a movie on my laptop. Then I saw that BYU TV has this show called "All-Round Champion" that I really want to watch with someone. I watched bits of a couple of them, and it's so cool!

Sunday: I bore my testimony in church today about the "becauses" behind why I am so grateful for my Savior today. Because of Jesus Christ, I do not have to be scared of falling short, of failing. Because of Jesus Christ, my future is full of hope and my daily life is full of faith. I still felt nervous going up there to bear my testimony, but I did it because of Him. You never know how many other people you will touch with your testimony, as imperfect as you feel it is after giving it, but most importantly, you are bearing your testimony for yourself. I don't have any roommates at home, so it's been lonely inside the house. I'd have loved to go outside on a walk or a drive, but it's been snowing all day! I did find a guy in the ward who had jumper cables, so he was able to come over and charge up my battery!!! I am so grateful to have a working car. I did freeze, though. Well, just my toes. But I tried out those new microwavable bean-sock/slipper things that my mom got me for Christmas and they were so heavenly! Lacee invited me over to play some games and jam on our musical instruments together in the evening.

Much love,

Emily Burnham