"Never be discouraged. If I were sunk in the lowest pits of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I would come out on top."-Joseph Smith

The above quote is stated by one of my favorite people in the history of the planet. (Well second favorite because his wife is my absolute favorite) And it's pretty applicable to this moment. But let's start off how my first week of my sophomore year of college went:

So I decided I was going to take 17 credits.  And work. And have a social life. I had it all planned out. Life was going to be great this year. So I go to my first class of the day, New Testament and it is GREAT! I have not really studied the New Testament, so it will be a great new experience! And then I went to Spanish... See, I thought "Hey I'm a brilliant individual and I've had spanish for three years in high school. I don't need to start with Spanish 101." Yeah.Not so much. I am not the brilliant individual I thought I was. See, my teacher introduced herself in English and then proceeded to tell us that we would only be speaking in Spanish from then on. Guess who doesn't remember as much Spanish as I thought I did? Yep, me. So I dropped that class immediately after getting out of it.  And added Biology. I know, crazy right? Anyways, I went to my next class which is American Christianity with Professor Cope (she's like my favorite person on the planet and this is my third class with her!) So needless to say, it provided a better way to end the day. 


When I got home, I about died of pure exhaustion. But I went to FHE which was your typical Mormon BYU thing- an ice cream social. We met some pretty cool people, and I was only minimally shy compared to how I usually am. 


Tuesday was a GREAT day. I have two of my English major classes. My first professor walked in wearing a yellow suit coat and a sunflower tie. And my other professor was originally a businessman, then chef and now has decided to be a professor. So needless to say, they are the great eccentric English teachers. I am really excited for those classes. I also got to go to my Classical Traditions class (which is going to be great!) It was during this class that I met some really great people. And we're leaving it at that because I don't want to be a creeper. (yeah, I bet you never thought you would read those words from me. But it's true. Let's just say I met a very nice young man) 


Wednesday was my first official day of biology. And for those of you who know me, you know I was NOT looking forward to this class. My teacher is absolutely fantastic! I love her already! However, at the beginning of class she asked everyone to raise their hand if they were a freshman. And EVERYONE except a few select raised their hand. So that was cool. Nothing like being in a class full of freshmen. (seriously, now I have NO guy prospects in that class. Talk about lame!)


Friday was a day of sadness. I had a great day at work but then was walking home and it seemed like EVERYONE and their dog was holding hands. And then I looked down at myself. Guess who was NOT holding hands/dating? Yep, me. Yet again. So I was a bit discouraged. But it was during this moment of self pity (after I had called my mom and cried for a few minutes! Thank heaven for parents!) that I was reminded of what President Uchtdorf (aka the Silver Fox) said in a recent general conference: 


      "There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not     appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions. My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most."


How profound that was. Instead of focusing on the tiny details of my schedule and personal life, I need to focus on the bigger picture and the basics. I am often so far ahead in planning my life that I forget to 'focus on the significant."  So for the past couple of weeks (thanks to Michal! She definitely pushed me!) I have read the Book of Mormon every night. It has been such a blessing. It has helped me to push back down to the 'things that matter most." I have made it a personal goal to finish it by New Year's Eve and am already in 2 Nephi 24! I have come to find a great love for the scriptures. 


To begin this journey of finding things that matter most, I decided also to smile at EVERY single person I walked by. Before I started to do this, when I was walking by someone, it would go like this:


1. See someone coming up in the near future. I estimate I have about thirty seconds until we pass each other awkwardly.
2. Smooth hair, fix wrinkles, make sure I wipe the sweat off my face after climbing the HUGE crackermuffin hill I have to walk up every morning at 7:30/
3. Look at them. This way, they are still far enough where you feel like you're being nice and giving them attention, but you're not close enough to be a creeper.
4. When your paths are about to intersect, you have a few options. A. You can look down. I prefer this option to most because you have already given them your few seconds of approval. B. Dig around in your backpack for something. C. Get your cellphone out and pretend to text or D. Take a sip of water. All of these methods have worked pretty great for me in the past because I just find walking past people awkward on all levels. Maybe I have over thought how awkward it is, but I truly find it awkward. 


So anyways, I decided this week that I would smile at everyone I saw. And can I tell you that it produced fantastic results?! I felt better (seriously, you know how when you smile, your mood just instantly increases ten fold?) and I even got smiles and greetings back. It was a simple thing that has made a huge difference in my life. I suggest everyone try it. Even those shy, awkward walkers like I used to be. Trust me, it works. 

So anyways, life continues to be great on the BYU campus. I love it here! I hope that I can continue to have a positive attitude through my moments of weakness and sadness. I hope we can all truly find the things in life that 'matter most."

Also, anyone who is reading this, really really really needs to watch this video because it's adorable: 

 (Also I totally want a child that looks like her, because she is cute!)


For now, I'll just continue to read talks written by President Uchtdorf and eating Subway weekly so I feel a lot better about myself. LOVE YOU ALL! xoxox