What a long weekend!!!

I had a very long weekend, and not in the sense that I had a lot of time for fun and resting. In fact, I had no time to rest whatsoever. On Halloween I drove up to West Jordan and spent the night at my sister's house so she could take me to the airport the next morning. My flight left at 6 in the morning, so I didn't get much sleep. I flew in to Bismarck around 1pm. My dad picked me up and took me to the house. I ran some errands and spent a little time with my sisters before Heather's sister came and picked me up so we could drive to Sydney, Montana.
We got in to Sydney at 10:30 but were not able to go to bed until late. The next morning we had to be up early to finish some preparations for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. We went shopping, made meatballs, and finished bouquets. (Right - Erin, Ashley, me, Heather, Danielle, and Angie. Bridesmaids and the bride. Erin and I have been friends with Heather since the third grade, Ashley is Heather's sister, Danielle has been friends with Heather since High School, and Angie is Mike's sister) The rehearsal started at 5:30, but we needed to be there a little earlier. Than we had the rehearsal dinner at Mike's parents' house (Mike is Heather's husband). They have a beautiful house and the dinner was delicious. Heather asked me to pray, and afterwards, people started clapping. That was the first time anyone has applauded me after praying, it was very interesting.
We ate and then Heather gave out presents. I got a t-shirt that says, "I was a bridesmaid in Heather and Mike's wedding and all I got was this crappy t-shirt" as did all of the bridesmaids. We put our shirts on and went out. That was interesting because it was my first time in a bar. We went to one bar first. Most people weren't drinking (which was fine with me). They had some casino machines in the bar, so Erin and I went over there. It was really weird. I won $.70!! I can honestly say that it wasn't very appealing, but was interesting anyway. Its not something I would choose to do for fun. After a little time there, we left for a different bar where supposedly EVERYONE was. Erin and Angie (Mike's sister) went home to put their kids to bed, but the rest of us went to the Triangle. There weren't that many people there, but pretty much everyone there was from the wedding. The others started drinking, and we each had a shot (don't worry, my shot was root beer, free because I was designated driver). We were there for awhile. We danced some, but mainly sat around and talked. The guys were all pretty much drunk. (Left - me, Danielle, Ashley, and Heather, toasting our shots) That was uncomfortable. It reminded me of a few experiences from my mission, but there was no one there to tell me to ignore them. Anyway, though it was an interesting experience, it is not one that I intend ever to repeat.
We didn't get home until late, around 1:30am but then we had to finish some decorations. I didn't get to sleep until after 3 and then we had to get up to be at the church to start decorating by 9. I went with Heather and Danielle and a few people showed up to help. We didn't have a lot of decorating to do at the church, so we then went to the Triangle (where the reception was going to be held) to decorate there. That took a little longer, but we finished relatively quickly. Then we went back to the house to start getting ready. I hate getting dressed up when I have to do it all myself. (Left - the wedding party) I never know what to do. But somehow we all managed to get ready to be to the church by 3:30 for pictures. A few people worked on my hair after we got there, and then began the long task of pictures. We were in a few, and then the bridesmaids went out to decorate the car. That was a lot of fun. We tied a cowbell to the rear, wrote on the car, and put balloons inside. (Right - the decorated car) It was really cool.
We hurried back in and then waited for the ceremony to begin. The ceremony was short, which was nice. I read a traditional Irish blessing after the unity candle. We then headed over to the Triangle. We had a nice dinner, and after cake, the dance started. We stayed for a few dances, but after the bridal party dances, we left. (Left - Heather and Mike cutting the cake) We (my dad and youngest sister came to the wedding) got back to Bismarck around 1:30, but we had to be up in time to be at the church at 9am. I did not get enough sleep this weekend.
Oh, I got to see the change that was made to the Bismarck temple. They changed the entry-way. It is pretty nice.
My flight left Bismarck around 7pm. (Right - the changed temple. Can you see the difference?) We got in to Denver early and I was upset to learn that my flight to Salt Lake was delayed an hour. I was supposed to get in at 10pm, but didn't get in until after 11. Becky picked me up from the airport, I went to get my car, and drove back down to Provo. I got in around 1:30, but I had to get up to be to work by 7 this morning. I definitely did not get enough sleep this weekend, but it sure was an adventure!

Currently Reading:
Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Meme

So I was tagged by Heidi for this meme, which no one really seems to know what that stands for. Anyway, here goes. For those of you who don't know the deal, here are the rules:
*List 7 interesting things about yourself.
*Tag 7 people
*Don't tag the person who tagged you or say whoever wants to can go.

Ok, I've been thinking a little about the things I can say and the ones I've come up with will most likely make me sound odd, but it seems that that is the purpose of the game. So, here goes:

1. Unlike most people, I am not afraid of dieing. In fact, I would really be ok with dieing tomorrow, or this year, or anytime soon. Its not that I want to die, the thought just doesn't worry me. I don't know how to explain it really. I guess the idea of seeing my brother and now my mother is more exciting than the thought of being unprepared to meet God.

2. My biggest pet peeve is dishonesty. This encompasses a lot of things. For example, I hate it when people say they are going to do something and then don't, even if it is a matter of "conveniently forgetting." I firmly believe that if you say you will do something, you should do it, no matter what. And if something comes up where you absolutely can't, let that person know and make other arrangements. Don't offer to do something or to help with something that you have no intention of doing. This also includes falseness of any kind, which is probably why I hate it when people say, "how are you?" in passing without wanting an answer. I also hate it when people fake interest in what is going on with you. I think that people who come across as false are the only people I cannot get along with.

3. I hate to sleep. I know, I know, lots of people love it. I hate it and would be happy if I could sleep a couple hours a night or less and not be tired. I think this is because I feel like I'm missing things when I sleep, especially when I nap. This is also related to why I hate being by myself. I think that everyone else is having fun without me and I am missing out.

4. On the other hand, I don't like to force people to associate with me, or to talk with me. So, I'm very passive in relationships until I feel like the person actually wants to spend time with me. That's probably why I only have a few really good friends, because only those who think it is worth it stick around. Thats also probably why I end up being alone a lot.

5. I love cold and hate heat. I can't sleep if it is too hot, which unfortunately happens a lot with roommates who turn the heat up. I love snow and love winter. In fact, I can't feel sad when there is snow on the ground.

6. People tell me all the time that I am the most patient person they know. I don't agree with that, I'm just really good at keeping my impatience inside.

7. Finally, I am afraid of commitment and especially family responsibilities. Unfortunately, my fear of family responsibilities mostly comes from experiences on my mission that for a time made me not want to have kids and even not want to get married. I've been working on that ever since and sometimes I want to have a family, but it usually lasts for a few moments and passes. I hope that that will change when I am ready to get married. Oh, and I usually feel like I want to when I watch the show Medium and often during conference addresses on the family. Sometimes when I see really well behaved kids, that makes me feel like I could have kids of my own. I know, weird.

Ok, here are the people I would like to see do this. If you don't have a blog, go ahead and post a comment on here, or if you are my family members, post on our family's blog.
Becky, Elizabeth, Sara, Heather (now Arneson), Erin, Heather my roommate, and anyone else who reads my blog and hasn't done this yet.

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!!! I am leaving Provo today to head back home for my best friends wedding which is this coming Saturday. My flight leaves tomorrow morning, very early.
Yesterday was a long day. I worked in the morning and had class until 11. When class got out, I went to the temple because I knew that was my only chance this week. It was nice, but because of that, I had a hard time finding parking when I got back to campus. Then I worked until 7. When I got off work, I went over to a friend's house and we carved a pumpkin. It was very fun because neither of us had carved a pumpkin in years. In these pictures you can see us working, and then see the finished product! It turned out very nicely, if I do say so myself!!

Currently Reading:
The Idiot
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Portraits of "The Whiteman"
by Keith M. Basso
Morphology
by Francis Katamba and John Stonham
The Doctrine and Covenants

JERUSALEM!!!!

Hi everyone! You may have already guessed from my title here, but I have been officially accepted to the Jerusalem Center!!!! I'm really excited, though I'm still not sure where the money is going to come from. I am still accepting freewill donations of every kind. Thanks to those who have contributed, no matter how small the amount, and thanks to those who have expressed desire to help even if they don't have the means to do so.
Anyway, I am working on a student loan, so I don't want anyone to fill bad if they can't help. I think I will be alright. My scholarship covers the cost of tuition, so with that help and the donations I have received, I only have 76.5% of the money left to pay.
That probably sounds like a lot, but it is way better than having 100% to pay, and I have until the end of November to make the final payment.
Anyway, I'm really excited! Here are some pictures of Jerusalem so you can see what I'm getting in to:
















































Currently Reading:
Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Relations in Public
by Erving Goffman
The Gambler
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Forms of Talk
by Erving Goffman

Good news . . . kind of

Well, I am back in Provo, now. I think tomorrow is going to be weird, back to work and back to school. Part of me wants to go back, part of me wishes that I didn't have to. I hate duality of feeling. I wish it was always the same. It gets confusing when I have two contradictory feelings because I don't always know which one to listen to. In this case, the choice is obvious, I need to go back to school, but that is not always true. Often the choice is not so clear cut.
Anyway, now for the sort of good news. I have been "assigned a position on the 2008 Winter Semester Program at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Easter Studies!" Here comes the contradictory feelings again. Part of me is very glad (all I have to do for official acceptance is have a final admission interview) because this is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. But at the same time, I kind of wish I would have known what was going to happen this semester before I applied, maybe then I wouldn't have applied. Then again, maybe that is exactly why things happened the way they did. Its so hard to tell sometimes.
Studying in Jerusalem has been my dream since I heard that the center was reopening. But the desire to go to Jerusalem started a long time before that. It was actually one of the last things that my brother and I were planning on doing. On a whim, I asked him if he would go see Jerusalem with me. He, like always, readily agreed, and we began "planning" our trip, though we knew it would not happen for a few more years in the future. We, nonetheless, knew that it would happen someday. Just as we planned to go to Nauvoo for the temple dedication, and made it happen, we would make this happen. Unfortunately, we never got that chance. When I first thought of studying in Jerusalem, I felt like this would be a way to fulfill our dream. Now I have another reason. My mom was fully supportive of my decision to study in Jerusalem. In fact, I think you could say that since it was my dream, it was her dream, too.
The only real problem, besides my contradictory emotions, is finding the money to actually do it. The first installment is due Oct. 16 and the rest of the money is due by Nov. 26. That's quite a bit of time, and I only hope it will give me enough time to find the money. I am waiting for a student loan to go through, but I have been waiting for a long time and don't know how much longer I have to wait.
So, here is my plug. If you feel so inclined to contribute to my "Send Rachel to Study in Jerusalem" Fund, feel free to help! I am currently accepting check or money order, but am unable to accept credit cards! :) Ok, I am joking, but if you would like to help, I'm not too proud to take it.

Currently Reading:
The Queen of Spades
by Aleksandr Pushkin