LASTS

This well has been full of a lot of LASTS. Let me give you the run down.

*My last late-nighter in the Harold B. Lee Library.
*My last all-nighter regarding undergrad schoolwork.
*Turned in my last paper of my undergrad. It was seven pages in Spanish analyzing the feminist discussion in three Iberian texts.
*My last class of my undergrad. It was Bible as Lit until 7:30pm and such a great class.
* Did my last class and teacher evaluations.
*Had my last undergrad study group.
*Took my last Spanish test....ever.
*Finished my last P.E. class (It was bowling).
*Did my last extra credit assignment.
*Took my last undergrad final - sociology.
*Sold back books to the BYU Bookstore for the last time.

Although this season my my life is coming to a close, I'm sure this means that I'm coming upon a bunch of new firsts. I can't wait!

Battle with Mr. Tax Man

I am proud to say that today, I have done something I have never done before. I filed my own taxes. After years of having others so graciously complete the dreaded task for me, I finally buckled down this morning and got all fiscal. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but that's probably due to my puny income. I feel like it's an accomplishment, one more milestone on the road to independence. O.K. I know it's not that big of a deal, but hey, I grew today.

Take Me Back to My Days as a Dancing Queen

For the last semester I have spent every Thursday afternoon from three to four o'clock with two amazing girls. Ana and Stephanie are two middle school young ladies who have recently immigrated to the United States from Central America. Their transition has been anything but easy. I'm been so impressed with their resilience and spirit. They have really taught me a lot.

So this Thursday, Ana calls me as I am running out the door to tell me that I should come and meet them in the cafeteria for a dance. I thought it would be like a cultural assembly or something. Oh, no. It was a full fledged middle school dance with decorations, a DJ, and adolescent awkwardness. I asked the girls if they wanted me to come back another day, so that they could enjoy the dance with their friends. My attempt to get out of it failed. "Venga y baila!" was their enthusiastic response. So, with that, I spent the next hour and a half of my life dancing with a bunch of 13-14 year old girls to songs of the 70s, 80s, and 90s with some Latin music mixed in. It was an experience that I thought I would never have to live again. But, thankfully it wasn't as weird as those times I went to the youth dances. It reminded me how hard middle school is. Everyone is just awkward, wanting to fit in, trying to establish an identity. The girls looked apprehensive at first, not sure of how this was all going to play out. But, as I just let all my inhibitions go, we all forgot the awkwardness and just danced. It was funny how every dance move I made, the girls would copy me. At times I felt like it was Simon Says. I have to say, it was a surprising experience. I had a good time, not because the dancing was fantastic, but because I got to see Ana and Stephanie in their environment, with their friends, and they were having a great time.

I hope I never have to go to another middle school dance again. And I am so thankful that I made it through that hard period in my life. It has taught me, that middle schoolers really just need all the love, support, and understanding we can give them. We can help others feel comfortable in their own skin...and dance to their own beat.

Celebrating Spring and Food Fights

A few days ago, a bunch of us headed to the Hare Krishna Temple that's a few miles south for the Holi festival, or the Festival of Colors. The festival welcomes spring with music, a bonfire, and the throwing of brightly colored powder all over the place. It was a blast.

The experience reminded me of my childhood dream to have an enormous food fight. I remember sitting the a cafeteria at Frontier Elementary School and wishing that I had the guts to throw the green bell pepper slices my mom had put in my lunch at the nearest innocent bystander. The individual, more out of play than malice, would then chuck back his/her applesauce and then the fun would begin. Instantly dozens of children from grades one to six would toss their midday meal across the room, creating frenzy for the lunch ladies and teachers aids to deal with. Every toss would be an expression of freedom, liberty, and a dislike of sack lunch food. It would end with every child covered in brightly colored edible goo. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, my dream continued to include the fury of the principal and the consequences that would follow. So, instead of hurling bell pepper at the nearest kind next to me, I just ate it and went to recess.

Although we weren't heaving food at each other, the Festival of Colors and the paint throwing was near enough to my childhood dream, that I felt that my repressed ambition was satisfied, and without the angry principal. Although everything that I was wearing, and especially anything white, is permanently dyed a lovely shade of pink, it was so worth it.

Here we go!

So here we go...I have officially entered the blogger world. A new adventure already!