Such Great Heights by The Postal Service Music Video

I could be doing this and working in clean rooms in the not too distant future. 

We watched this when discussing integrated circuits in my ECEn class today. 

Oh how I love my major. 

I am so pumped. 

Engineering Joke

There are four engineers traveling in a car; a mechanical engineer, a chemical, an electrical engineer and a computer engineer.The car breaks down.

"Sounds to me as if the pistons have seized. We'll have to strip down the engine before we can get the car working again", says the mechanical engineer. 

"Well", says the chemical engineer, "it sounded to me as if the fuel might be contaminated. I think we should clear out the fuel system." 

"I thought it might be a grounding problem", says the electrical engineer, "or maybe a faulty plug lead."

They all turn to the computer engineer who has said nothing and say:

"Well, what do you think?" 

"Ummm - how about if we all get out of the car and get back in again?"

bahaha.  

I thought it was funny. 

10 Answers

1. How would you describe your work in three words?

Distinguished, meticulous, unassuming

2. Who is your creative role model?
There are too many to name.  Friends and family members, every artist who has gone out and become successful on their own without sacrificing his/her values, inspiring authors, honest political activists, mothers, grandmothers, chefs, playwrights, photographers, scientists, physicists, ENGINEERS, mathematicians,  musicians, autistic children, and ordinary people like you and me who continue to go on every day with a positive attitude and hope for the future, despite what we know may come. People who make the most of the situation they are given; they are my role models, they inspire me.

3. If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
   I love to read.  When I was younger,  every Tuesday in the summer my mom took us to the library.  Each week, I would collect a gigantic stack of chapter books to check out.  Mom would question if I needed all of them, and the answer was always "yes!"  Without fail, the stack would be finished by the next Tuesday and I would be anxious to check out more. 

   Now that life has sped up,  reading for fun has taken the back burner.  In the summertime, I still have a marathon book list.  During the school year, however, there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done as it is.  One hour to step out of the real world and read a good book would make all the difference in the world for my sanity ; )

4. What place in the world most inspires you and why?
   On top of any mountain.  The top of Stairway to Heaven in Kanaohe, the Y in Provo, the hill at Smith Lake;  when I can look out and see the world around me, I am in awe.  I see that I am a part of something vastly bigger than myself and am reminded of how small I truly am.  Seeing the world also reminds me of my role in his plan, how the impact I make on one person can affect so many more.  It reminds me of the Lords majesty and power, the beauty and intricacies he put into this world for us.  It is a stunning and breathtaking view at the top of a mountain, a view every person needs a chance to see in his or her lifetime. 

5. If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
   I would be a storm chaser with my Dad.  One of my first serious career considerations was Meteorology.  I had planned to be a weather woman for a while, then my Dad would retire and he and I would be storm chasers together. I changed my mind for that career after doing a research paper on Meteorology.  I realized that with any TV job, especially broadcasting, you want to be on prime time; when everyone is home from school and work.  aka I'd be working my way up to being away from home.  Needless to say, those thoughts were nixed, but I could definitely handle being a storm chaser for a day : )

6. What is your favorite homemade gift to give?
   Christmas goodies, turtles in particular.  Homemade gifts are the best.  They take time, care, love, and thought to put together.  I would accept a homemade gift over an expensive one any day of the week.  And baked goods are definitely the way to any girl or boy's heart : )

7. What is your favorite object in your home?

I have a special box that contains my treasures; things like every birthday card ever received from my mom and dad, letters, my PB, pictures.  This box is my most prized possession. AND it matches : )

8. What is the best advice you've ever received?
Just relax, let it be. 

9. What websites do you use for inspiration?

Mormon.org, and Anthropologie for fashion inspiration : )

10. When do you consider a piece of your work complete?

When I've given it my all.  It would be very easy to stop a project when all qualifications have been met, and it would be a phenomenal piece of work.  But until I have poured my heart and soul into it, and given it all that I have to give, it is not complete. When punctuation and grammar are flawless, when every possible angle has been analyzed and I am 100% convinced that there is absolutely no way it could be perfected any more, THEN and only then is my work complete.

*I apologize for some cliché answers, but they're the truth

I concur.

boring

thats what my blog is.

i need to spruce things up. 

any ideas?

a reminder

Despite what we may think, 

"The life our Heavenly Father has planned for us is far more glorious than anything we can imagine ourselves..."

Hallelujah!

BYU has a Biomedical Engineering Club

and a Biomedical Engineering Masters Program

and a Biomedical Engineering PhD Program!!

Cinderella

I LOVE this song.

I know im a baby, but I cry every time.

I love my daddy.

I just remembered

I guess I am kind of a special kid...

Today was productive. 

I completed a CS lab 3 days early,

Phys lab and hw 2 days early, 

and Math hw 5 days early.  

I cooked a fabulous dinner

watched some season premieres

visited friends

AND the part that reminded me I was special......

I updated my resume for a STEM Career Fair tomorrow

*Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics*

and all my achievements and accomplishments came flooding back to my memory.

I don't know how I did all that I did.  

and I don't know how I continue to do it today. 

But I know that with the Lord's help, anything is possible. 

I see his hand in all that I do. 

He is the reason I am who I am.

I am so grateful to him

and hope I will never forget all that he has given me. 

and now I should sleep, 

so I don't mess up his plan for me by getting sick

or becoming sleep deprived

*been there, done that. NOT a good place to be mentally*

buona notte e dolci sogni
goodnight and sweet dreams

I may be obsessing....

but my grade dropped from a _ _ .7 to a _ _ .3 

this is not good.  i want _ _ _. 0.......

I know. 

I am an overachiever. 

But its in my blood. 

I set lofty goals for the semester

and I will not give up.

I will earn my spot. 

just watch. 

_ _ = ((2.64892E3)*37)^(1/2)

_ _ _ = well.... you can probably guess....

Birds

Kate Nash

She was waitin` at the station

he was gettin` off the train

he didn't have a ticket so he had to run through the barriors, again.

well the ticket inspector saw him rushin` through he said, girl you don't know how much i've missed you 

but 

we better run 

cause i havent got the funds to pay 

this

fine 

she said

fine

so they ran out of the station 

and jumped onto a bus with 

two of yesterdays travel cards 

and two bottles of bud

and he said you look well nice.

well she was wearin a skirt 

and he thought she looked nice and

yeah she didn't really care about

anything else because she only

wanted him to think that she looked nice

and he did

but he was lookin' at her yeah

all funny in the eye

she said c`mon boy 

tell me what you're thinkin` now

dont be shy

he said alright i'll try

well the stars up in the sky

and the leaves in the trees

all the broken bits that make you trip up and grassy bits inbetween

all the matter in the world

is how much i like you

she said what?

he said let me try and explain again

right birds can fly so high

and they can crap on your head

yeah they can almost fly into your eye

and make you feel so scared

but when you look at them

and you see that they're beautiful

thats how i feel about you

she said what?

he said you

she said what are you talking about?

he said you

right birds can fly so high

and they can crap on your head

yeah they can almost fly into your eye

and make you feel so scared

but when you look at them

and you see that they're beautiful

thats how i feel about you

right thats how i feel about you

she said thanks i like you too

he said cool

One Step after Another

Hundreds line up each year to climb Mount Everest; but there is an important difference between Erik and every other climber who had attempted to ascend before: Erik is totally blind.

When Erik was 13 years of age, he lost his sight. Although he could no longer do many of the things he wanted to, he was determined not to waste his life feeling depressed and useless. He then began to stretch his limits.

At age 16 he discovered rock climbing. By feeling the face of the rock, he found handholds and footholds that allowed him to climb. Sixteen years later, he began his ascent up Mount Everest. The story of his climb, as you might imagine, was filled with many harrowing and life-threatening challenges. But Erik eventually scaled the south summit and took his place with those who had gone before him, one of the few to stand on top of the highest mountain on the face of the earth.

When asked how he did it, Erik said, “I just kept thinking … keep your mind focused. Don’t let all that doubt and fear and frustration sort of get in the way.” Then, most importantly, he said, “Just take each day step by step.”

 "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.

 

The same principle applies to how you and I can climb to higher spirituality.

We know it is worth the effort, for the prize, which is eternal life, is “the greatest of all the gifts of God.”And to qualify, we must take one step after another and keep going to gain the spiritual heights we aspire to reach.

 “It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize.”

We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.

This wonderful talk from the January 2002 Liahona by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin *one of my favorites* can be found here

we like to party

in the park :)

 

  

There are some really fantastic parks in Provo ;)

Woes of an Elementary School Child

First draft. 

DONE.

It is going to be spectacular. 

I cannot wait. 

I hope it gets chosen to be performed. 

"This play is about the funny situations and comments of Elementary school children.  Based off personal experiences, it is an attempt to reflect on the simple humor of childhood"

Redeemer of Israel

The congregation sang a beautiful rendition of this song for the closing number of conference on Sunday.

The final verse was set apart by a wonderful, profound bridge 

and I was moved to tears. 

It was beautiful.

Redeemer of Israel,

Our only delight,

On whom for a blessing we call,

Our shadow by day

And our pillar by night,

Our King, our Deliv'rer, our all!

We know he is coming

To gather his sheep

And lead them to Zion in love,

For why in the valley

Of death should they weep

Or in the lone wilderness rove?

How long we have wandered

As strangers in sin

And cried in the desert for thee!

Our foes have rejoiced

When our sorrows they've seen,

But Israel will shortly be free.

As children of Zion,

Good tidings for us.

The tokens already appear.

Fear not, and be just,

For the kingdom is ours.

The hour of redemption is near.

a week of General Authorities

We have had a wonderful week full of General Authorities here at BYU

on Sunday, we had regional conference.

Elder Boyd K. Packer

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

and Sister Julie B. Beck spoke.

That evening we had a devotional and Elder Richard G. Scott spoke. 

We sat just to the side of Elder Scott.  

You could see us in the broadcast!

Today, we had a devotional and Elder Robert D. Hales spoke.

4 GA's in 3 days!

Good times

favorite thoughts from the speakers:

"You're doing better than you think you are, 

but we're not doing as well as we could be."

"Testimonies should be simple and deep,

not complex and superficial."

The Lord's voting for you.

Satan's voting against you.

it's your vote that counts.

"The pioneer times were the easy times, 

the hard times are about to come."

"Righteous love is the foundation of a 

successful marriage."

"Get a life - get an ETERNAL LIFE"

"When we use our agency,  we choose to move either

towards an open door  with endless possibilities

or to a corner with very few options

"The life our Heavenly Father has planned for us is far more glorious than anything we can imagine ourselves - but it does not come without trial"

also

I'm testing out a new theory.

research is in the works. 

but its a secret : )

catch up

its been busy.

today.
woke up early to finish reading for programming
went to programming
re-worked some math problems
went to math
spent a couple hours in the lab to finish my programming lab
due wednesday

that means 2 early days
success.
finally left the Talmage building.

ate lunch with the wonderful Trisha whom i haven't seen since Hawaii
went to theatre
worked on my play
left campus for the day

watched some Glee
did some laundry
received my church calling
went to FHE where I was able to use my new calling as FHE mom : )
performed skits as FHE groups
Jack and Jill

Studied until midnight with Ben
studied some more physics after
spent 30 minutes lint rolling my sheets
black = classy but not very practical
did some research
and then wrote this.

tata for now.
more updates on the awesome weekend and church meetings to come.

Journal writing

It's sometimes a very hard thing to keep up with. 

I have neglected physically writing in my journal. 

But I stayed up last night,

quite late actually,

and wrote in mine. 

and it was wonderful : )

"Journal writing is the perfect place to sort out your feelings, solve problems, set goals, preserve memories, and develop dreams. It’s important to write about experiences now while your memories are fresh. Years down the road you will rediscover your words and be amazed at how much you’ve grown and how much the Lord has blessed you."

"Get a notebook, my young folks, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies” (New Era, Oct. 1975, 5).
—President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985)

"You may never be remembered for your superior writing skills, profound insight, or miraculous experiences as a teenager, but you’re the only one who can describe the night you finished the Book of Mormon for the first time, or the flustered feeling you had on your first date, or the smell of fresh roses at your grandpa’s funeral, or anything else in your life. If you’re the only one who benefits from your efforts, that’s enough."

the Y

First time to hike the Y!

The gang before

Kelly and I

James!

 

 

 

 

I hate

having feelings. 

If you act like a friend, that's all you will ever be. 

If you play hard to get, they never get the hint. 

If you get your hopes up, they get shot right back down. 

and of course,

no matter what you tell yourself, 

you do it anyways. 

No matter how many times you convince yourself it's not real

when that fact comes true, 

you are hurt.

it's all so stupid. 

I feel like an idiot.

I hate it. 

I hate being a girl. 

I hate having emotions. 

Why can't I just be oblivious?

Rise and Shout

First BYU game of the season!!

It was a very exciting game!

Here comes the team!

Brandon in line!

Kelly and I at the game!

Ben, me and Kelly!

17-23 BYU FINAL :)

and Auburn won too, 52-26!

Woes of an Elementary School Kid

I have narrowed down the focus for my play.

Inspiration comes from Dan in Real Life.

Real, true life experiences. 

So real that it is funny. 

But very personal as well. 

My focus, 

Elementary School. 

And some situations,

though horribly awkward at the time,

now seem hysterical. 

It is going to be great. 

I have recalled a few instances, 

one in kindergarten

one in second grade

but I am in need of more situations.

My brain has already left for the long weekend

and I am trying to recall those situations. 

perhaps I'll have my mom send me old diaries : )

Oh I cannot wait. 

TMCB

I lived in here today
the James E. Talmage building
9:00 - 3:00
my home away from home
or home away from my home away from home.....