At the end of a long week

I've started and stopped a lot of blogs in the past few days. Life has been pretty scattered this week due to finals, lack of sleep, and a crazy work schedule but I've finally made it to the end. Finals are finished and I can feel the weight of school lifting from my shoulders. My boarding pass is printed and I'll be on a flight home tomorrow morning. At the end of a week like this I think I'm mostly grateful to learn that I can do the things that seem impossible. I'm so thankful for the heavenly help I've had this week.

Scents

My seventh grade Core teacher Mrs. Busch (the one that frequently rubbed off her penciled on eyebrows in frustration) told us that certain scents bring up different memories. She proceeded to pour a bag of recently fallen fall leaves on the table and has us smell them and see what memories we remembered. I remember having this instant flashback to Boston in the Fall. I think it had been about two years since Dad, Mom, Kendall, and I had traveled to B-town and walking around in the leaves wasn't a memory that I ever consciously remembered storing. It was a very weird experience.

So here I am, almost eight years later, still fascinated with the idea that my brain can store memories without any conscious effort on my part. Since I'm now one of those weird kids that is obsessed with the human body, I decided to look up the science between memory and scent. This is what Discover Health taught me...

"A smell can bring on a flood of memories, influence people's moods and even affect their work performance. Because the olfactory bulb is part of the brain's limbic system, an area so closely associated with memory and feeling it's sometimes called the "emotional brain," smell can call up memories and powerful responses almost instantaneously.
The olfactory bulb has intimate access to the amygdala, which processes emotion, and the hippocampus, which is responsible for associative learning. Despite the tight wiring, however, smells would not trigger memories if it weren't for conditioned responses. When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment."

So I've been thinking about this for a while and started compiling a list of the scents I associate with certain memories or people.


Hot Tamales or Cinnamon Bears (really any cinnamon candy) - Natalie
Fresh wall paint- Mom and Dad
Recently cut grass- Dad
Lavender- Mom
Any indoor pool- G+G's Salt Lake pool
Coconut Lime Verbena Lotion- Kendall
Pink Lemonade- Joshua
Gasoline- Mexico (this one always makes me laugh)
The smell of any doctors office- The West Linn Women's Clinic
School smell- Aunt Cheri and when Kendall, Rachel, and I would "help" her set up the classroom for the Fall.
Wet/muddy shoes- Rugby

And of course there are the harder ones that you don't really know how to define the scent. Like Alaina's house. I can definitely tell when something comes from Alaina's. I almost certain that if someone gave me something from the Backus home I could tell. I haven't been there in more than four years, but even now I'm positive I could recognize it. Also, the smell of G+G's Salt Lake apartment always gives me strong flashbacks to coming there as a child.

Are there any scents that you associate with certain memories/people?

Two things...maybe three

Tonight in FHE we finger painted a mural. The theme was Christmas in Space. Our end had way more pizazz than the other end. I think my fingers may be permanently stained with tempera paint, which doesn't totally make sense because tempera paint is suppose to be washable.
I went to the temple lights with some of my girl friends this weekend and really enjoyed it a lot. I took in the rain and cold and just told myself it was part of the Christmas experience. I do so love to see the temple.
Three days of school left and then finals! I'm getting so excited for Christmas in the Northwest.

Anatomy and some other things

Anatomy has been one of the most intense classes I've taken at BYU but it also seems to be the class most relevant to my life. It's not just because I start the nursing program next semester but because the more I learn about the body the more I realize what a gift it is. In the past semester I've spent two hours a week in lecture, two hours a week in lab, and at least two more hours in open lab studying off the cadavers not to mention the time I spent studying off the computer program at home. The more time I spent learning and memorizing bones, muscles, structures, and organs, the more I was in awe of all the intricate details that make up our bodies. I don't know how anyone could look at the body and not think a divine creator had some part in it.

The heart is my favorite organ. I get goosebumps when I think about how blood pumps through atria, valves, and ventricles then out though arteries to the body and then back through the veins to the heart. I love that it sounds like a simple process but how there are really so many other small pieces that contribute to it. I love that I can feel my own heart beating and know that by body is doing its job. I love that one muscle can keep us alive simply by pumping. It's also pretty cool to hold a human heart in your hand. Just saying.

I'm continually fascinated by the leg muscles. If you could look at the dissected quad and hamstring muscles of a cadaver I think you'd understand. The adductor magnus is my favorite one because it's this huge meaty piece of muscle on the medial side of the leg and it's there just so you can move your leg.

Galea aponeurotica is my favorite anatomical term to say. It's just the fibrious tissue that covers the top of your head but I can never say it enough. GALEA APONEUROTICA!

After I study for a long time I fall asleep naming anatomy terms. It's sort of a bad habit because it usually keeps me up longer than if I just laid there. The terms are constantly running through my mind.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that our bodies are awesome. Next time you climb a flight of stairs, eat a delicious meal, or lay down at night to sleep take a minute to stop and think about what an amazing gift it is to have your body. The last semester has been a real testimony strengthener for me as I've seen how great our bodies actually are. If I were Satan, I'd feel pretty foolish for giving up the opportunity to have a body. Be grateful for what you have and take care of your bodies because they are truly the greatest gift.

It all makes sense now

Various precipitating factors may cause tension type headaches in susceptible individuals:
* Stress: usually occurs in the afternoon after long stressful work hours or after an exam
* Sleep deprivation
* Uncomfortable stressful position and/or bad posture
* Irregular meal time (hunger)
* Eyestrain
* Caffeine withdrawal
* Dehydration

Guess which one is not part of my life?

T minus 2 days until anatomy lab final
T minus 12 days until finals week

I am super excited for Christmas break.

Life has been good

As I've been here in Oregon enjoying a rather different holiday than usual, I can't help but think how blessed I have been and continue to be in my life. I have always been given what I needed even when I didn't know that's what I was missing. Life continues to simply be grand and I'm sure it will only get better. I thought I'd share some of the little seen pictures as I blog from the home computer. Some are cute but mostly they're just hilarious.
I loved those silky star pajamas. This Christmas was also the year I got the hand held cotton candy maker. mmmmm...cotton candy
Please notice how ill fitting all of our jeans are. Women's fashion has come a long way since then.
FINE! I totally did ruin this picture.
So we went to Boston in 2001 when PT Cruisers were new and SO cool. Of course we had to get a picture with Kendall and me standing through the sunroof.
Delphine! Remember how she could never get our drinks right? And where is Kendall in this picture? Check out my sweet corn rows. hahahah.

I hope you enjoyed the little flashback. Happy Thanksgiving!

Airport Adventures

The great blizzard of 2010 got me stuck in the Salt Lake airport last night for about 5 hours. I got to the airport and the snow had not started falling. Around 5:30pm the storm unleashed its furry. I have never seen snow like I did last night. The wind was blowing and the snow was falling and you could hardly see out the window because everything was white. Needless to say my flight got delayed, and delayed again, and then delayed a third time. I really didn't mind so much. I had a nice chair to sit in, a book to read and my flight wasn't canceled like so many of the other ones. Because I didn't really want to lose my fancy chair, I sat down almost the whole time. It gave me a lot of time to observe the different people in the airport. This is what I've noticed.

There are three types of people that react to a flight delay
1. The ones that get angry/frustrated at the people working in the airport. (which I don't understand because it's not like the airport employees can control an airplane)
2. The ones that instantly become super friendly with the airport employees in hopes that it will increase their chances of getting on a flight (but seriously? does that help anyone?)
3. The people that patiently sit around and catch little snippets and updates from people around them. (the majority of people) I fall into this catagory

Everyone has a laptop. Was it like this even a few years ago?

Most of the men with laptops were playing computer games or watching a movie.

Quite a few women with laptops were catching up on their online shopping.

There are some people that would just prefer to stand up and wait for the plane.

The airport food of choice is definitely Burger King.

Most of the single travelers had headphones in/on the whole time we sat there.

The airport gets sort of cold when you sit around forever.

Eventually our flight got out of there. I escaped the winter wonderland and made it safely to Reno, NV and then all the way to Portland, OR. I waited outside in the cold, breathing in the deliciously cold and clean air of the Northwest. It's great to be home.

Best Thing Ever = Harry Potter 7

Before:

After:



That's right...I just got back from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiere and it blew my mind. Like seriously, all the best action and forward moving plot of movie 5 combined with the cute/funny little snippets of movie 6. July cannot come fast enough.

Perspective

School is hard. Especially when you're in a class called statistics. It's a little bit discouraging when you spend all day studying, think your doing great, take the exam, and then don't do so hot. aye aye aye.

On the bright side, tomorrow is Thursday (the start of my weekend for those of you that don't read this blog all too often) and Alyssa and I get to go to the midnight Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie. I can't wait to be a part of history.

I go home for thanksgiving one week from today.

I've finally convinced Alyssa that it's okay to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. It's just an extension of the holiday season!

I go home for Christmas one month from today!

It doesn't really matter what grade I get in statistics as long as it's above a C because I already got into the BYU Nursing program!

This weekend I...

Slept in until 10am without even making myself sleep.
Studied for like 45 minutes before I figured out that I really have no motivation to memorize all the chemistry involved in glycolysis, krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation
Discovered that I really love to do things while laying in bed. There is just no feeling like being warm in your bed, laying down, and knowing that you're getting stuff done. Especially if it's real cold in your apartment.
Made cookies for Dad's birthday.
Ate a J-dawg with some of my favorite people.
"Killed it" in Beauty more than twice. Stupid stop signs.
Started listening to Bon Iver and couldn't stop.
Attended a baby shower for Kendall and enjoyed some great food. That baby is coming so soon!
Spilled body spray all over my hands. They still smell like white gardenias.
Realized that the semester is nearly finished! Really only one week of class, then Thanksgiving break, and then two weeks of school and finals. And then I'm a nursing student. AH!
Remembered that I have a Christmas tree pin to wear as soon as Thanksgiving is over.
Started sewing Christmas decorations
Watched Thoroughly Modern Millie with Alyssa and totally loved it. I think it helped that people kept telling us how awful it was before we watched it.
Chatted with Amanda at least three times
Cleaned off the mountain of junk from my desk.
Sang in sacrament with my FHE group.
Realized that it's going to be a long, cold winter in my top corner bedroom.

If you love something, you should probably name it

It's probably not news to most of you that I was the victim of bike theft this summer. I walked out to church one Sunday morning and this is all that remained of my mode of transportation.
I am convinced that the reason said bike was stolen was because I never named it.

Naming a car is a tricky thing. You've got to pick the right name to fit the car's personality (you cannot name a black Escalade "Rainbow") while keeping it original (a white car named Snowball, are you for serious?). For example, a few years ago Kendall and I dubbed the Honda Odyssey mini-van Rocky (short for rocket ship) because a.) it's a beast like the great Rocky Balboa and b.) it sounds like the ship may just take off while you drive it.
The second example, and one very close to my heart, is Cher the 1995 Dodge Spirit. Now, Cher was my girl all through the last two years of high school. Kendall and I wanted to pick a name that was classy (she had an automatic seat belt!) but still a little bit trashy (there were a few cigarette burns on the upholstery). Cher just seemed to fit perfectly.
In order to keep all current and future modes of transportation safe from damage and theft, they have been named. The beautiful bike that Aunt Cheri was kind enough to lend me has been named Firenze after the centaur in Harry Potter that is old, wise, and kind to Harry in the forbidden forest. (And yes, I am comparing myself to Harry Potter and Provo is the forbidden forest, deal with it) And in anticipation of what is to come, I've named the Black Jetta Beauty because a.) having a car to use is a beautiful thing and b.) it's short for Black Beauty, like the mighty stallion, because I hear it has a pretty powerful engine. Oh, and the car is actually black.

In memory of my long lost (unnamed) bike, I've purchased a necklace with a bedazzled bike. I'm glad it could teach me to name the things that are important before they are gone forever. And thank goodness it was only a bike!

Something died on my face

I think I'm discovering that I'm an awful writer. I mean, give me a topic and I can bust out an A+ quality five paragraph essay in no time but ask me to write something creative and more likely than not you'll be disappointed. That being said I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for my Halloween holiday. The quick sum up: I went to my roommates house in Alpine for a party with her family and some friends on Utah Halloween (aka Saturday night 10/30). I decided to be a dad for Halloween a) because I'm a little bit lazy and b) I'm sort of obsessed with mustaches right now.






Alyssa and I are really great at being awkward with other people which makes things pretty hilarious. And just in case you're wondering, I am indeed dying for another occasion to wear my dad mustache.

Seriously so blessed

As of Friday at 5pm I have officially been accepted to the BYU Nursing program! It's been a tough road to get me to this point but I could not be more ecstatic. I am so grateful to the people that believed I could get to this point when I didn't. I'll start taking nursing classes when I come back to school after Christmas break and I can't wait! Miracles really do happen.

Mini Vacation

One of my best friends from high school, Michelle Francis, flew out to Utah last Friday to spend the weekend with me. Different circumstances kept us forever in different places when it was convenient to get together and after more than a year of being apart we decided it was time to reunite. Michelle arrived in SLC Friday morning and the next 78 hours were as perfect as perfect can be. I have not laughed so much in my whole life. It was such a blessing to have a break from school and I'm so glad that Alaina would trust me with her car for the weekend. Nothing beats reuniting with a friend and finding that even though time has passed it feels like you've never been apart.

I'm glad Michelle had an iphone otherwise we wouldn't have any of these gems.

Silhouettes

I am consumed by the thought of doing crafts right now. Something about being super busy always makes me want to take a break and do something crafty. This summer I was especially crafty and made silhouettes. (whoa...I just spelled that right all on my own). I don't know where I got the idea from, maybe I just stumbled upon it as I surfed the internet at work or maybe it was just a weird inspiration, I don't really know but it's turned into one of my favorite things. Oh and it was pretty easy too.

Here's how you do it...
Take some profile pictures. Try and keep the pictures at the same distance so the heads are the same size. These are what my pictures looked like.
Obviously the heads are a little different size in these pictures. It really helps if you have a fancy computer scientist help you format the pictures and make them the size you want but I'm guessing most of you can do that on your own. Also, take into account what size frame you want to display them in. I knew that I wanted both the silhouettes to fit in an 8x10 frame so they were formatted to be that size.
Print the pictures and trace the outline onto tissue paper. I didn't have a working printer when I did this so I just traced the outline right off the laptop screen. It was really nice to have the back light while tracing.
Tape the tissue paper outline to the paper you want your final silhouette to be made of and cut along your traced line through both the tissue paper and project paper. And like magic you have a cut out of your profile!
Here's what my finished product looks like. I went to the trouble of matting them inside an oval. It took forever to figure out but it made the finished product look so much better. Since I didn't really have any process to that I'll let you figure it out on your own.

You can make a silhouette out of any picture you have so you might not have to go to the trouble of taking new pictures. I guess you could do some of an action shot. That would actually be super sweet. Anyway, making silhouettes isn't really hard but it takes some time and patience with cutting. I really love my silhouettes and the memories I made creating them. Happy crafting!
I've started a new project but it's top secret! But more on that later.

Things That Make Me Love Thursday

It's my last day of work for the week!
Anatomy Lab! I'm sort of obsessed. It's hard for me to study for any other class because all I can think about are those cadavers.
Project Runway!
Grey's Anatomy!
I give myself the night off from school work.
Tomorrow just so happens to be pay day.
The week is almost over and that puts me one week closer to Christmas and my 20th Birthday!
The whole weekend is still ahead of me. And yes, I count Friday as a weekend day.
I don't have to wake up to an alarm tomorrow!

How Could I Not Buy This?

But seriously October, COME FASTER!

Thoughts

I've finally discovered how to get milk into my diet. Two words: Chocolate Pudding
I'm sort of really excited to look at cadavers in anatomy.
Florence + the Machine has been my motivation to study this week.
Ingrid has a new song that is real good. I think that might be my motivation to study next week. Have a listen
I've gotten ready by myself for the last 5 years and now my new roommates like to be up in the morning and get in my way while I prepare for the day. It's hard.
Hey remember how we're suppose to be running a 10K next weekend? hahaha
I keep having dreams where people are brushing my hair. First it was Mom, then Kendall, and then Joshua. Is that weird?
I want fake facial hair for Halloween. Pretty much that's going to be my costume.
I've been sick of my hair lately.
I have a great roommate.
What am I going to do when it gets cold and I can't ride my bike everywhere?
I had to pay $65 to get CPR certified. Doesn't that seem like something they should do for free?
Grooveshark.com is the new pandora except better because you get to pick the songs that play.
I have my first round of tests/quizzes for the semester this week.
My work schedule got rearranged so now I work M-TH from 8am-1pm. I figure an hour of sleep lost for a work free Friday is worth it.
If you make it through Wednesday the rest of the week is a piece of cake.
I don't think I've ever been so excited for General Conference to come.
My friend Michelle is coming to visit me in Utah!
Mastering Chemistry is the devil.
I wish someone would tell me what to wear tomorrow.
I think tortilla chips are my favorite kind of chip. SO salty and delicious.

Mildly Obsessed

I cannot get enough of Sharpies lately. If I had to pick one tool to use from now until forever with which to created, I'd pick a black Sharpie. I don't know what it is about them that I love so much. I like that you can use just black and focus more on the lines of things rather than colors. It's also probably because that smell is so delicious. [Note to reader: I do not sit around an huff Sharpies. I'm just stating the fact that I (and probably many of you) cannot resist the smell of a Sharpie while in use]. Anyway, this is my latest creation for a Humanities assignment. Three things you should know about it: it's cheesy, most of my high school projects looked similar to this, and it's 100% Sharpie created. Hooray for Gilgamesh I guess.


Also, I wanted to show you the valuable skills I'm learning at the Law School. I scanned the original piece of art into a PDF and then sent it to myself from a copy machine. It's pretty high tech I guess.

Also also, I love this Sharpie Pens commercial. It's just so cute.

The End of Summer

It is still so weird to me that the Summer is really over. In a way my summer ended as soon as I left for Oregon. Not that I didn't see my trip up North as a vacation but more that everything I've had the last four months ended when I drove out of Provo. Everything about this Summer was perfect. Even getting my bike stolen turned out to be okay since I got the sweet upgrade to a bike with baskets (thanks Aunt Cheri!). Anyway, to remember the last month of Summer I thought I'd sum it up in some of my favorite pictures of the last month of freedom.

Pretzels


The Great Salt Lake

Hiking the Y

Seaside, Oregon

I'm crossing my fingers for a speedy Fall semester because I'm already ready for Christmas break!