Christmas time is here...

Okay, so Christmas time has been here, but honestly, I haven't really felt the Christmas spirit too much this season.  I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I wasn't with my family for the holidays this year, so it just wasn't the same.  To be fair, it's not bad being back in California.  It's nice being back home, and the Troub's have been great, but without my own family, it's just not the same.

I did have a good Christmas day, though.  My parents were awesome and got me a 64 GB 4th Generation iPod touch, which has a microphone and camera, which is way nice :)  I won't really be taking it anywhere with me until I buy a case and screen protector for it, though, I don't want it to get scratched up.  Kathy was really funny when she wrapped it, she put it in about five or six different boxes all inside of each other to try and mask what it was from me.  I got some great new clothes, consisting of a cute black skirt, the most adorable dress you've ever seen, and black tights with designs on them.  Then I got a Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price in Russian!  Honestly, the scriptures in Russian are kind of daunting.  They remind me of how little Russian I actually know, but hopefully they'll make me aspire to work harder.  I also got some cute German pottery; they are a tea cup and a plate with musical instruments all over them.  My mom said that I'm not actually supposed to use them, that they're just a collector's item, so that's just more stuff I have to carry around with me ;)  But I do like it.  I got a cute little keychain attachment with the Dutch colors on it.  Then from Santa I got a TON of gummy bears, which was nice since I was running low on those, and some awesome toe socks :)

So basically, I had a good haul this year :)  But let's get real, people.  Christmas isn't about our awesome presents.  In my last post I already talked about the true reason for the holiday, and that we should focus on the Savior.  I know that I myself did not do this so much.  During the Christmas concert it was much easier, because we had beautiful music to invite the Spirit and thoughts of the Savior, but then finals hit, and life became hectic, and then it was time for vacation.  I've never been super good at keeping the Savior in mind during Christmas time, and this year was definitely an improvement for me, but I still wish I had thought about Him more, especially this week, but I've just been so lazy and embracing the fact that there is no school right now that my head and heart haven't been in the right place.  And it isn't just the Christmas season I've been slacking in this, but in general I don't think about the Savior enough in my life like I should.  This is definitely something for me to improve on.  A New Year's resolution, maybe?

I am so grateful for my life.  I have been given so many wonderful opportunities, and have been blessed with so many awesome people in my life.  This school year has been so great thus far, and I hope I have at least as good of a semester this winter as I did in the fall, if not better.  Strangely enough, I'm looking forward to getting back to school (I say that now, but halfway through January I'll be begging for my next break haha).  I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the holiday season!  I love you all :)

Ahhh...

It is officially the end of the semester.  Words cannot describe how happy I am to be done with it.  Don't get me wrong, I've had a blast this semester, what with all of the choir stuff I've had going on, and DanceSport last month, but I'm so ready to move on to next semester.  I'm sooooooo glad to be done with Islamic Humanities, because that class is the devil.  Finals were killer this semester, not gonna lie.  Bro. Moore, my Pearl of Great Price teacher, was way nice and gave me a better grade than I should have gotten.  When I asked him about it, he said, "I'm cutting you a break.  It's Christmas."  Thank goodness for the holiday spirit and cheer, right?  ;)for break.

Next semester is going to be amazing.  Four dance classes, more choir, and just awesomeness all around.  I am so stoked to get started on it.  I'm very determined to do well, definitely better than I did this semester.  I have a feeling Russian is going to be more intense than it's ever been, so I need to step up my game and be prepared for that.  I am excited to continue with Women's Chorus and working with the Men's Chorus.  I'm excited to meet new people.  I've already met a ton of fantastic people this semester, and I feel blessed to have those people in my life :)  The only thing casting a shadow on this upcoming semester is the burning of the Provo Tabernacle today :(  It is seriously a travesty what happened.  That building was one of my favorites in Provo, and I have great memories of performing amazing concerts there.  We had one scheduled there for next month, and also the Women's Chorus 50th Anniversary Concert in March, which now has to be moved to April 1 in the de Jong on campus, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is still very sad.  The tabernacle was so special, and I hope the city puts out the money to renovate and fix it.

In other news, I will be in California in less than 24 hours :)  I am definitely excited to get to go home for break.  I've been back a few times since Christmas 2008, but only for a few days at a time, so it will be nice to have two full weeks there.  I can't wait to see people I haven't seen in two years, and to get to go back to San Francisco.  Hopefully Nathalie will fly out for a few days and Kathy and I can show her around.  It is definitely my favorite city in America.

The only thing that will be weird about break this year is that it will be the first Christmas/New Year's I spend without my family.  It will be sad, but I know we'll be thinking of each other.

I just want everyone to think about the true meaning of Christmas, which is the Savior.  This is the time we celebrate his birth, his willingness to come to Earth and atone for all of our sins, and the willingness of our Heavenly Father to send His Only Begotten to be sacrificed.  We are truly loved by our Father in Heaven and the Savior.  We sang the most GORGEOUS arrangement of "Silent Night" for our Christmas concert this semester, and for the first time I really payed attention to the words of the song.  "Jesus, Lord at they birth...Christ the Savior is born."  Those words have such a marvelous meaning.  Christ was our Savior from the beginning.  There was no other who could do what He did for us.  I learned in Bro. Moore's class that even if Christ knew that only one person on the earth would take advantage of the Atonement, He still would have suffered for every single person's sins, just for that one person.  That is so amazing.  I hope we can all have a spirit of gratitude for the Savior's sacrifice this semester, for He is the reason for the season, so they say.

Anyway, it's almost 4 AM, and I'm in the process of getting laundry done and cleaning my room/bathroom before I leave.  I've got a few errands to run in the morning, unfortunately, but hopefully what I have left won't take too long.  I'll probably write at least once during the break.  I'm kind of starting to like this blogging thing, it's a MUCH easier way of keeping a journal.  Plus, I know you're all just dying to know what's going on in my life ;)  Until next time...

Sooooooo...

So it's almost 2:30 AM right now, and I am still awake trying to do Russian homework.  Next semester I am making a vow that I won't be an idiot like I was this semester and wait until the last minute to do crap.  My brain is about to explode.  And I am officially starting my new job today, which means that I have work at 5:00, which means I have to leave my apartment in two hours so I can walk to campus.  Hopefully a lack of traffic will help me in my journey.  I need to make sure I eat breakfast so I can have some kind of brain energy for my Russian quiz today, and then I have to write two small papers for my Islamic humanities class (the devil in disguise), and then go to Russian choir, and then go to Islamic humanities (and probably fall asleep in Islamic humanities), and then I get to go home!  I think.  That's the plan right now, at least.

However, my day will end nice and lovely, since my ward is going to go to Temple Square tonight to look at the Christmas lights :)  I haven't done this since my freshman year, so I'm really really excited to go!

The fact that it's now 2:31 AM means that it is officially the last day of classes for the winter semester.  That absolutely boggles my mind.  I mean, I know we all get to a point where we think the semester could not possibly move any slower, but then Thanksgiving hits and it's all downhill from there.  I have been so incredibly blessed with all sorts of amazing opportunities this semester.  I've met so many great people that have changed my life, and I don't know what my life would be without them in it now :)  I'm hoping next semester is as good as this semester has been, because I have enjoyed myself terribly.  I think next semester will be a little crazier than this semester, since I'll actually have a full-time job, and I'll be taking about 16.5 credits or so, but I think it will be very fulfilling.  Granted, 3.5 of those credits consist of dance and choir, so I don't think it'll be that bad.  I am definitely looking forward to it, which is weird for me, because winter semester is my least favorite time of the year, since there is an almost complete lack of breaks (only two three-day weekends?  C'mon, BYU!).  But I am way excited for life :)  I know I already said this, but I can't believe how blessed I am in my life.  I've been looking at all of what God has given me this semester, and I am truly a beloved Daughter of God :)

Anyway, it's now 2:37, and I still have homework.  This is a really really good example of why it is bad to procrastinate...