Another Semester is Over

Well, Winter Semester has ended. Which technically means that my sophomore year at BYU has ended. Except I'm staying for Spring Term. So its technically not over. But, since half of the people I've learned to love over the last year have left, I still feel like it has. It's been a great year. One of my best ever, and I really enjoyed it. Life is good, and I am happy. Here's a list of some of my favorite things from this past year:

Love Notes! (especially from Sara K. G.)
Waffle Wednesday
Our Quote Wall
Staying out till 2:30 on Halloween
Donating blood for the first time
Singing every morning while I worked
Teasing Amanda
Staying up talking on weekends
Making cookies all the time
Random nights of swimming and hot tubbing
Studying Spanish with Sara
My new nickname for Sara K. G.
Having Sarah and Matt in Provo
Finding out that I'm going to be an Aunt
Walking to the grocery store
Movie Nights
Dance Class
Code Names
Photo Shoots
Birthday Parties
Danielle getting engaged
Reading for Homework
Seeing the fountain in the JFSB filled with rubber duckies
getting letters(that didn't' happen nearly enough)
getting new songs from Sara and Amanda
staying up late on weekends, going to bed early during the week

There are just a few things that were awesome. And there were so many other things that made this last year amazing. So many people I've met and friends I've made that have changed my life. I am so grateful or this last year and all the I experienced, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Adventure In Provo

So Missy and Sara and I thought it would be this genius idea to go on an adventure in Provo last night. We came up with the idea, and Missy was designated to be in charge of our destinations. Well...Sara and I forgot that Missy is more adventurous than the two of us. Which was a problem, because we were ready to be home a lot soon than Missy was. However, we did have fun, and there were some important occurrences we felt needed to noted. We took some pictures, and I made a memo on the notepad in my phone. This is how it reads: Duck chases. awkward guy on phone. whistled at. awkward people. Zac Efron line Sponge Bob bouncy ball. other bouncy ball?! Do I sound like Satan too much? 9:42 HUGE shooting star. Sound of music reenactment. I climbed a tree. Dogs. Cemetery was closed. Fire station. Yellow Taxi Cab.

Basically I don't think anyone who wasn't' with us can really understand our adventure. But there's a taste. And here are some pictures as well:

Thanks for the Reminder

School is winding up for the semester and things are getting a little hectic. With papers due and finals to start studying for anyone would feel a little run down. Add to the mix the fact that I'm extremely home sick of late and facing some personal decisions and challenges, I've been feeling like I couldn't handle any more. I think I really was still enjoying life, but finding it hard to focus on the good things, instead of the bad. And then the Lord gave me a beautiful reminder of how blessed I am. No, my worries and troubles didn't disappear, but the Lord showed me things that I have to be grateful for.

Yesterday, I sat watching Conference with my roommates in our living room. Let me just list the things I can be grateful for that popped into my head at the moment:
1. I am attending a University where the gospel plays an important part, where I can sit down with my roommates and watch Conference!
2. I have amazing roommates, who are all different and add so much to my life, and accept me for who I am
3. We have a prophet of God on the earth today, he speaks to us in our time. I can listen to words of council from him and other men of God that has been revealed for the challenges I face now, in my day.

Then, in between Conference sessions I called my Dad to talk about something really quick. I hung up the phone with an overwhelming wish to be home and it was hard that I wasn't. Yet at the same time I felt so blessed because:
1. I have a family that I know loves me, and I know that we can be together forever.
2. I live in an age of technology where I can call or e-mail my family every day and stay in touch even when I can't be with them physically.

Later yesterday evening I got to add one more thing to my list of things to be grateful for: the girls I lived with last year. Us girls who live in the Villa this year (along with Amy, one of Danielle's friends) took Danielle out to dinner, kind of as a bachelorette party since she is getting married next month. As I sat there laughing with them all, I realized just how lucky I was to meet them all. For the most part, we are all extremely different people. Yet somehow, we built friendships with each other that I know will last through eternity. They have gotten me through some tough times in the last couple of years, and now I can't imagine life without them in it.

As I went to bed last night and thought about my day I realized something. Sometimes God can't take away the challenges we are facing, but just when we may begin to doubt his love for us, he'll remind us that he is always there and always loves us. All we have to do is take a moment to recognize all the little blessings with which he shows us his love.

I'd like that answer now please.

Yesterday in Conference one of the General Authorities talked about what we do when trials come. He spoke of how instead of asking "Why"? we should ask, "What do you want me to learn from this"? This is something that I've been working on a lot in my life lately as I've faced some of my own challenges. I think I've realised that if I can ask the second and more important question, the answer to that will also be the answer to the first question. I understand that we experience challenges so that we can grow, and I try to remember that the Lord has a reason for everything he does. I also know that he wants the best for me, and this desire of his guides all of his actions. However, I've never been a very patient person, and something I also know is that sometimes, we don't get an answer to either question just when we ask it. I'm not trying to say that I'm the only one who has ever faced trials, but sometimes I feel like I've been handed quite a few so far in life, some that I feel no one should have to go through, especially at the ages I did. To this day, I still don't know all the reasons why my heart has been tried so many times. Or why just when I think things are getting better, something else seems to happen that knocks me right back down again. I KNOW that I am loved by my Father in Heaven, but sometimes I really wish I could see and understand his purposes. Sometimes I really just want to shake my fist at the heavens and ask him why, in the most demanding voice I have. In fact, I've done something of the equivalent before. And the Lord doesn't leave you comfortless. I've felt his love surround me on days where I thought I couldn't handle anymore. However, I've rarely gotten the answer I sought.

And this is where patience comes in. Perhaps half the lesson I'm supposed to learn is how to be a more patience person. A lot of the time I also feel like adding after my question, "and I'd like that answer now please." But God doesn't work that way. From where I'm standing right now, I can't see the destination the Lord is guiding me too. But if I could see what he has in store for me, wouldn't that make the journey much easier, because I would know for certain that it would be worth it. If that was the case, would I learn everything he wants me to learn? Everything I need to learn? Probably not.

So in the end, although I still want that answer now, I try to trust the Lord. I try to understand that he won't give me more than I can handle, even though it may seem like it at times. I try to rely on the Lord for help when I feel like I can't take another step. And I wait, with faith that one day the Lord will finally say, "Okay Lydia, today is the day, you can have that answer now."

Check that off my list:

I donated blood for the first time last Friday, with Amanda. That's right, we finally told ourselves we just had to do it, and so we did. It was little frustrating because they took a while to double check that my asthma meds were some of the allowed medications. Annoying. However, even though Amanda got started a little before me because of that, I was faster and we finished at the same time. I'm glad I finally decided to stop making excuses, because it wasn't bad at all and I'd happily donate again. Don't worry, we took some pictures to document, AND we got free T-Shirts.