So the Tradition of Honor thing was way good. There were a lot of performers and of course the famous "That's against the Honor Code" song. Wow it's been a long time since freshman year. But yeah it was fun to watch and there were a lot of uplifting things. It makes me proud to be a BYU student and to love by an honor code. Today we had our orientation for the program. So I spent most the day listening to more info about OSHA and HIPPA and all that jazz. We got some new clothes too of course. Oh and we got shoes which is the latest. So i'm not complaining not like I ever have anyway. There are a ton of new 1st semesters it's crazy. Any who after that I went and saw a friend from the MTC. She's was in town for the day for a friend's wedding. So I sat and talked to her while she was waiting for the bride to be done with the make up and such. But yeah it was fun to talk to her and such. Sis. Nihipali is so crazy and funny! But yeah after that I came home and took a quick nap then went to another Y group activity. This one was a little different but fun. Pretty much they did a bunch of wierd games to mix people up and to force you to get to know people. It would have been nice except for the fact that I was with a bunch of freshmen haha! Well I'm going to bed because I gotta get up and do my last day of this cramp study then go to work then watch the football game!! Yay I'm excited for that!!!

Alright so yesterday I got up in the morning and went to the temple which was really nice. I saw Susan W. Tanner there and she smiled at me!! haha....didn't know she works at the temple. After that I ran a couple of errands, did the cramp study and then did Y group stuff. They checked in then we gave them a tour of campus. It was actually really cool because we were given a ton of info about the buildings mostly about the people that the buildings are named after and I learned soooo much! The theme of the New student orientation is being a Disciple scholar. Wow I had no idea that those men sacrificed so much for this church and for the building of those buildings. So it was fun to talk to the kids about it and to strengthen my testimony and such. Then we ate dinner and they watched a movie but I left to help a friend unpack a little. Oh and I got another call asking me to translate again. I thought I was going to be done but no! But it's okay because I have been giving a lot of service these past couple weeks and it's fun!
This morning I got up and did the rest of the tour of campus then went to the "convocation" for the freshmen. A lot of people spoke and it was very powerful. We also watched a movie there that especially touched me. It talked all about how BYU was started and about the first presidents of BYU and such. Wow!! I had no idea that people went through so much to get this university started! They almost gave up so many times! But both those times they had dreams/visions of thousands of students and buildings here on campus and they kept going. Way to save BYU Jesse Knight! And he used to be less active then when he became active he payed all the tithing that he missed plus interest, plus donated a ton of land. Seriously I am so grateful to be here at BYU. It truly is the Lord's university because if not then it would not have even been build. I am so grateful especially to Karl Maesar for teaching and starting this college and making it into what it is. One thing that Pres. Samuelson asked is "Why are we here at BYU? What do we need to get out of this experience?" It got me thinking a lot about why I am here and what I have gotten out of my experience and what do I have left to get out of my experience. That's something that I'm going to be thinking about a lot this next little while. Anyway, I left to go to work which was good but I gotta go back in a couple of hours for the "Tradition of Honor" presentation. Pretty much it'll be talking about the Honor Code and such. I'll let ya'll know how that one goes but I'm gonna take a quick nap before that because I am so exhausted!!

Well this morning I got up and went to a training meeting for the Y group leaders. Danielle Hurd had e-mailed me a while back asking me to volunteer with her. Anyway, so I accepted of course. So it was a good training meeting and I learned a lot. It was pretty fun and I'm actually kind of excited to be helping these freshmen somehow. But after that I participated in day 1 of my 5 day research. I had participated before but this was kind of a continuation or like I call it, this one's "for real." So yeah pretty much they are testing my muscle contraction when my big toe cramps which means I get shocked a bunch of times until my bog toe cramps so they can observe the muscle activity. It really wasn't too bad. After that I went to work which was nice then went and talked to the girls in apt. #8. I pretty much live over there! But Caitlin is back so I'm way excited! Welp i'm going to bed now because I've gotta get up early to go to the temple in the morning before more research project stuff then Y group stuff the whole rest of the day!! Fun!! :)

Moving

Whew!! I am drained! This morning I went to the gym and saw Aunt Amy there. That was fun! Then as soon as I got home I started moving all my stuff to my new apartment. It took me soooo long! I started at like 10 or 11am and just now finished getting everything moved over here and the other apartment cleaned. I still have a ton of things that I need to get organized here. But I didn't eat breakfast and almost passed out trying to move so I had to take a break to eat lunch. It is so hot outside and I had to move all that stuff here on the 3rd floor by myself. Now I remember why I hate moving! Anyway, I guess I did get a little help for a few minutes and that was nice. So here I am typing away when I really should get in the shower because I smell and I need to go grocery shopping because I have no food (meaning no milk or bread). And then I have to go to work for a little bit. So yeah I really should get going again!

Well today was a pretty good day. I went to the gym then went to work. Work actually went really well too. I was able to get a lot done. Anyway then I went and saw Kung Fu Panda with my friends. It was actually a pretty cute movie. The kids were making me laugh too. Anyway, that's pretty much it for my day!

Well you can tell that this week hasn't been too busy since I've been writing here a lot. Anyway, so the latest is that I'm going to be doing men's basketball this fall. I wasn't planning on it but things seemed to work out and what not and it feels right so I'm just going to go for it. So I e-mailed my clinical advisor back and he said it's fine. I might not have to do an assignment in the winter after all. Hmm....maybe he's going to be nice to me this year I don't know. So all day today I spent trying to fix my schedule around and make sure I'll still have time to work and such. I might end up taking a class next spring just so my schedule isn't too tough so I won't get bad grades since I'll be so busy. I did do okay fall semester when I was with football surprisingly enough. I know I just need to have more faith in myself. But I would still walk in April but not technically graduate until June I guess. Then I'll get to teach at the MTC longer and study for my certification exam. Anyway, I think I wrote all this already. But yeah that's what is going to be going on this next semester. I still have to add a couple of classes these next couple of weeks. I should get in....hopefully. So that's pretty much it for today! Anyway, I need to go to bed so that I'll have time to go to the gym in the morning before I have to work.

Well today has been interesting. Well not really. Anyway so I got up early this morning (and yes 6:45am is now early for me) to help a girl in the ward move. It was really random. Last night she saw me and was like I know you probably don't know me (I know her but she doesn't know me) but I have to move a ton of boxes early in the morning and need all the help I can get. So of course I said yes. I mean it's an opportunity to serve and I didn't have any other excuse. So I got up early this morning to help her move and she really did have a ton of boxes. We managed to get 4 cars to help her get all her stuff and it still took 2 trips. Then after that I came home and showered and managed to have some time to watch the end of the U.S. women's soccer game. It was so awesome and we won!! That was such a great match. Then I headed off to the attorney's office and translated for the filipino lady. It turns out that she wants to drop the charges. Of course the attorney was a little upset and I was a little too because when some man has raped 3 people and gotten away with it who wouldn't be upset. But he obviously picks on people like this because she's going back to the Philippines in like a month and really doesn't want to have to worry about this and obviously she's scared. But anyway, it's a really hard situation. But afterward her and her sister took me out to eat lunch and they were so nice and stuff. It was so fun to talk to them and I realized that my Tagalog is really rusty. Wow!
So after that I came home and I had gotten this e-mail from Jeremy the person in charge of making our assignments for Athletic training. Well Rob, the Men's basketball and baseball trainer had called me last week pretty much begging me to help out with men's basketball next semester since he didn't get a student assigned to him and has games starting at the end of october. And he said he trusts me which is nice. Anyway, he's really nice and really willing to work with my schedule and everything. So.....i'm kind of considering if I'm going to just do it or not. I think I might take less classes this next semester then take one or 2 classes in the spring and graduate after spring term. I can still walk in April but then I'll be able to teach at the MTC too until June or so and take my certification exam then get a job. I don't know. Tonight i'm going to sit down with my friend and figure out my schedule and see if it will work. I'm not sure. I kind of have a good feeling about it but we'll see. I'll let ya'll know tomorrow what I've figured out. So I'm gonna read and watch the rest of Pride and Prejudice now! Ingat!! :)

Olympics

So Misty May and Kerri Walsh are so amazing! I can't believe they have won again! Well I guess I can believe it because they are that dominate! Seriously can we say girl power!! Hehe....anyway just wanted to write how I think they are amazing and good sports unlike the obnoxious Holt runner who doesn't even acknowledge anyone else. And I can't believe there is a girl swimmer with only one leg. Seriously there are some amazing people in this world! My sleep schedule has been so messed up with these Olympics going on! Welp I'm gonna watch a little more of Pride and Prejudice then head to bed! Magandang gabi!!

Well it feels really good to go to the gym. I've been trying to go more often lately especially since I've had a little more time. But anyway, I actually took some time yesterday to read. Now that's a surprise haha. But yeah I go to work later today then probably I'll watch more olympics. I have spent a lot of time watching Olympics the past while. But it has been worth it. So I have one more full week and then school starts. And of course football starts soon. So that'll be exciting. I'm still trying to work out my schedule and see what to do about that. I still need to move into my apartment and tomorrow i'll be doing more translating for that filipino lady and her attorney. I hope things go well with that. Next week will be a little busier because I agreed to help a friend out by volunteering to be a Y group leader with her. So we get to help out the little freshmen. Then we also have an orientation meeting next week all day on friday for my program. It's the longest, most boring meeting ever and I'm a little bummed that I have to go through it but oh well so is life. So anyway, that's pretty much all that's going to be going on for the next while.

New Blog

So i've decided that I need a new blog. I've tried out the whole livejournal and xanga thing but now this seems like the popular blog to have. I posted some of my old posts on my old site. Anyway, so it's time to start off a new. It's really late though right now and I need to go to bed so i'll post more tomorrow.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

So I was reading in a friend's blog today and I was fascinated by all the cool things that she wrote. You know I guess I just don't take to time to meditate on those topics like I should. I was watching Law and Order the other day because I think it's awesome and it was this controversial episode about the death penalty. So I have been thinking a lot about that lately. I guess I just don't socialize enough because I don't have discussions like that very often. Anyway, today was a great day. I got to chat with my MTC companion, Sis. Lloyd for a while and I learned a lot from that. It was a great day at the MTC as well. We had zone conference and it was just amazing as usual. I just love the Spirit that the missionaries bring. And I got to bear my testimony. It had been a while since I've felt the Spirit that strong while bearing my testimony. Probably since fall semester. I realized that I don't bear my testimony enough. I hardly ever do in church but do everyday at the MTC but in different ways. Anyway, it's been an amazing past couple of months. I just don't want the summer to end. I was able to return to the Philippines and it was just soooo awesome! I miss every minute of it no matter how hard it was serving a mission there. It's funny because my MTC companion told me that before we went home President Labrum told her that he requested to not have any more American sisters sent to Quezon City because they were not being treated well by the Elders, members, other sisters, etc. Kinda funny since me and her were the only american sisters at that time. Well it looks like the church stopped for a few months then started calling american sisters to Quezon City again. Anyway, I still wouldn't trade it for the world. It changed my life and I learned so many valuable lessons even if some of them were learned the hard way. Well I probaly should write here more. But I honestly never write in my journal so it's hard for me to write here. But I sure will try.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

The future? Well I'm not quite sure what the future will hold for me. I just got this job teaching Tagalog at the MTC here in Provo so i'm way excited about that. It has caused some problems with my major though which has made this past week such a crazy week! It turns out that i'm not going to have a clinical assignment next semester but in the winter i will have one again. This will hopefully allow me to teach at the MTC until I graduate in April. After that then i'm hoping to go on to graduate school in athletic training but we'll see what this next year has in store. Now it's crunch time since finals are all coming up in the next few weeks. I have a huge research paper and presentation to do still and a test to take already before finals. So next week is really going to be a busy one. I never seem to have enough time to get the things done that I need to!! I need to just focus and stay up late and get no sleep because there is no other option. The due dates are coming too soon for me to get things finished. But let's just say that at least it's almost all over!! Then I get a break for a little while before school starts again. Well everything is going well! I just need to go to sleep and make sure that i don't get behind in my sleep now because it will be a long week!!

Monday, July 30, 2007

What now? Well what do I say about my life right now? After my mission I was home for a couple of months just working for my dad and saving up some money. So right now I'm back up at BYU working and waiting for school to start in September. Tomorrow I start working with the BYU football team as an athletic trainer. So that pretty much is going to take up most of my time for the next 4 months. So that's what's going on in my life right now! Not too exciting I know! :)
So about my mission. It was the most amazing 19 months of my life. Not a day goes by where I don't miss it. But I know I need to move on to the next chapter in my life. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things and remember everything for my major that I've forgotten. So the filipinos are amazing people and I love them to death! I really want to go back sometime next year. I have some goals right now. One is that I want to be a teacher in the MTC. I love working with the missionaries in the TRC and would just kill to be a teacher in the MTC!! We'll see. I'm gonna try and apply in December for the position. Welp that's all for now. I just thought I'd make some of an effort to write a blog.

Friday, June 03, 2005

It's been forever! Last semester was crazy but I loved it! So anyway, my big news: I'm going to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints starting August 3. My call is to the Philippines Quezon City, Tagalog speaking!! Wow!! This is going to be so awesome yet so hard. I am way excited. I'm a little scared to learn a new language and live in a different country for 18 months but it will be awesome! Now I only wish I knew more about the Philippines other than the fact that there are gigantic cockroaches and typhoons and monsoons. I have a lot to do before August 3 so these next couple months are going to be so busy. Anyway, that's my exciting news. Other than that all I've been doing is working a heck of a lot.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Welp i'm posting for the first time in over 3 months. I knew I was going to be getting really busy with school and work and I was! Well I found out last week that I got into the Athletic Training program at BYU. I am so excited!! This is really what I want to do. For the first 8 weeks of next semester i'll be with the Women's Tennis team. I will be with them every step of the way. I have to go to all their practices and tennis meets. It will be really fun! I'll get to treat them all for their injuries and hopefully make sure they don't get injured any more. I am really excited to learn about injuries and rehab and all that cool stuff. This has to be the first time I've ever really been excited about school! I know I'm going to enjoy it!
Well this semester I think I actually got good grades. I'm sure it helps that I took easy classes. Anyway, i've gotta get my GPA up if I want to apply for graduate school someday. My GPA is really low right now. Well I'm home for 2 weeks and I'm kinda excited for the break. I'm glad to be able to spend time with my family yet I'm really anxious to start next semester. I just really hope that I can suceed at what I want to do. Anyway I just wanted to update a little bit. I'm doing great and life is just really good right now. I love the church and I love BYU and i'm just so excited to start school next semester. Wow who would've ever guessed that I would actually be excited for school to start....I know I wouldn't have ever believed myself if I said it in the past.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Well I sure haven't updated in a long time!! Well last tuesday night I went to the A's game with my sister. They won of course and it was an awesome game! Then wednesday afternoon my family and I left for our little adventure down south. On the plane they showed Shrek 2 so I got to see it for the first time. It was really good! Then by the time we got into Atlanta it was pretty late so we checked into a hotel and went to bed.
The reason we went down south was because my brother Tom who'd been stationed in Montgomery, Alabama for the past 12 weeks was graduating from the Air Force Officer's Training School and was being commissioned. So on thursday we drove to Montgomery and looked around Old town alabama for a couple of hours. We didn't really have time to do much. We saw alabama state and the state capital and walked around a little bit but it really wasn't exciting at all. So that afternoon we went to Maxwell Air Force base and met up with my brother. They had an open house for a couple of hours and talked all about the Air Force and the training and stuff. Then afterwards Tom showed us around the base and we ate dinner there and he told us a little bit about what he's been doing for the past 12 weeks.
Friday morning we got up real early and went and saw my brother being commissioned as an officer in the Air Force (2nd Lieutenant to be exact). It was so awesome to see how they went about it all. Everything was so formal. Later that day they had a graduation parade and they all marched and the band played and they threw up their hats and everything. The military is awesome!! I still can't believe he got up at 5 every morning with only 6 hours of sleep tops for the past 12 weeks!
Saturday was my favorite! We went to the Braves/Cardinals game in Atlanta!! The stadium is so awesome and the Braves won of course!! The best part was in the middle of the fourth inning I looked up at the main scoreboard to see that it read, "THE BRAVES WISH A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMANDA HAWKES!!" I was so surprised and I screamed "Hey that's me!! My name's up there!!" I was so excited! The game was so exciting and awesome. I couldn't believe my mom had my name put up there either! So that was the highlight of the trip. We went back to our hotel and watched the Olympics then got up early the next morning and left to go home. My birthday on sunday kinda sucked because we were flying for half the day but that's okay.
So that's my trip!! It wasn't extremely exciting but it was a good trip. I have gained a new found respect for the military. They go through a lot to prepare to defend our country and the freedoms which we hold. I am sad to say that a lot of people in this country don't appreciate the liberties that we enjoy and take advantage of it by bashing every political leader and anything and everything that's wrong with this country. I have seen only a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who show the utmost respect at all times and are willing to give a lot to this country. And may I add that most of them are married and a lot of them have children. They are still willing to risk their lives on our behalf. This amazes me.

Friday, August 06, 2004

Last night the Conover's and my family went to see "The Lion King" in San Francisco. I thought it was going to be so stupid. I mean a Lion King musical? I didn't really even like the movie all that much but this was actually really good. I don't know why I was surprised because it was a Broadway hit and all. So anyway, the costumes and everything were really amazing. Plus everyone could sing so well. I was just really amazed. I think I like Phantom and Mamma Mia a little better though. Jennifer Wharton (a girl that played in band with my sisters) was playing in the orchestra and we got to talk to her afterwards. It's really cool to see people that were in the band at Pitt and are now making a living of it. I mean she's making so much money playing trombone and tuba. It's just so awesome. She played the "farts" she told us, as Pumba farted a lot throughout the play. haha
I gotta go to work in a little bit. Unfortunately I have to work till 7 and teach swimming lessons tonight. But at least it's the last time teaching lessons at Ambrose. I'm getting really excited about that! Well i better get ready. Oh and last night I came up with one thing for my birthday! I do need a hair straightener. It took forever for that to come to mind but that's the only thing that I could think of.