Hey all,
Just a short update on the new year. So far things have been going pretty well, other than getting bronchitus, but that's almost past now. I've started classes, and most are the same as last semester, just the next section of it. I now have voice studio II, music theory IV, music history IV, Musicianship skills IV, U of L singers, and intro to Computer Science. At the end of this semester, I never have to take musicianship again, and I only have one semester left of history and theory, woo!
I'm taking computer science because for our degree, we need some science and/or social science classes, and this was the only one that really fit in my schedule, and also, I didn't really want to take psychology or women's studies. It's so easy, I don't really know what to do with myself. So far, we've learned how to create a folder inside of another folder on the computer. Fascinating, really. Apparently we're supposed to learn how to create websites and stuff later on, so I'm looking forward to that, but for now it's total dullsville.
As for work, I'm now back at Subway working Thursday to Saturday evenings and it's actually not too bad. Hopefully it won't become too stressful. That's pretty much all for now, but I'll keep you posted!
Until next time,
-J
Tuesday 13 January 2009
Sunday 4 January 2009
Change
Hey all,
Some of you may have noticed a change to both the title and layout of my blog. I've decided that this year, 2009, will be my year of change. I was inspired by President Thomas S. Monson's talk "Finding Joy in the Journey" from this past general conference.
(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-26,00.html)
He quotes the familiar adage "nothing is as constant as change". I loved this quote because it is 100% true. This inspired me to find other quotes on change:
"Butterflies are God's way of saying change is beautiful"
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
~Victor Frankl
"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." ~Robert C. Gallagher
"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom." ~Confucius
"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights." ~Pauline R. Kezer
"Our only security is our ability to change." ~John Lilly
I want you to seriously think about these quotes for a minute. Those who fear change are only fearing growth and new situations that bring with them all new opportunities to find joy and happiness in the journey. I like the quote by Confucious, because what it's basically saying is that what makes us happy today, may not make us happy tomorrow. Our interests change an evolve as the world around us changes and evolves.
Some of us may complain about being in "a rut" because what used to make them happy doesn't any more. That may not necessarily be because they don't enjoy that activity, but we as human beings, need change in our lives in order to stay motivated and to grow. When we do the same activities day after day, they become monotonous and meaningless as times goes on (for most people). By changing how you do something or when you do it in a day, though it is a small change, it can make all the difference.
What I'm trying to say by all of this is simply, change is a good thing. If it weren't for change, we would never be able to be better in our lives. We'd never be able to progress or learn new things that make our lives more interesting. I like the last quote also, "our only security is our ability to change". Because of my ability to change, I've been able to become someone completely different, in action and thought, in the last year. All of that I attribute to my Saviour for the Atonement and for the love He's showed me.
As my faith in the Gospel and in the Lord grows, so does my ability to love others. My ability to see blessings in the midst of trials grows also, and I begin to have a gimpse of that perfect love that the Saviour has for us. It is an amazing thing.
The advice I give to you all this year is to embrace change. If you're unhappy with how things are going, do something about it! Don't put it off and wait for the "right time" because you'll soon find that that time never really comes. Take action, make changes, and do what will make you happy in this life. That is what this time is for. My new year's resolution: make positive changes that will make me a happier person.
Until next time,
-J
Some of you may have noticed a change to both the title and layout of my blog. I've decided that this year, 2009, will be my year of change. I was inspired by President Thomas S. Monson's talk "Finding Joy in the Journey" from this past general conference.
(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-26,00.html)
He quotes the familiar adage "nothing is as constant as change". I loved this quote because it is 100% true. This inspired me to find other quotes on change:
"Butterflies are God's way of saying change is beautiful"
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
~Victor Frankl
"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." ~Robert C. Gallagher
"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom." ~Confucius
"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights." ~Pauline R. Kezer
"Our only security is our ability to change." ~John Lilly
I want you to seriously think about these quotes for a minute. Those who fear change are only fearing growth and new situations that bring with them all new opportunities to find joy and happiness in the journey. I like the quote by Confucious, because what it's basically saying is that what makes us happy today, may not make us happy tomorrow. Our interests change an evolve as the world around us changes and evolves.
Some of us may complain about being in "a rut" because what used to make them happy doesn't any more. That may not necessarily be because they don't enjoy that activity, but we as human beings, need change in our lives in order to stay motivated and to grow. When we do the same activities day after day, they become monotonous and meaningless as times goes on (for most people). By changing how you do something or when you do it in a day, though it is a small change, it can make all the difference.
What I'm trying to say by all of this is simply, change is a good thing. If it weren't for change, we would never be able to be better in our lives. We'd never be able to progress or learn new things that make our lives more interesting. I like the last quote also, "our only security is our ability to change". Because of my ability to change, I've been able to become someone completely different, in action and thought, in the last year. All of that I attribute to my Saviour for the Atonement and for the love He's showed me.
As my faith in the Gospel and in the Lord grows, so does my ability to love others. My ability to see blessings in the midst of trials grows also, and I begin to have a gimpse of that perfect love that the Saviour has for us. It is an amazing thing.
The advice I give to you all this year is to embrace change. If you're unhappy with how things are going, do something about it! Don't put it off and wait for the "right time" because you'll soon find that that time never really comes. Take action, make changes, and do what will make you happy in this life. That is what this time is for. My new year's resolution: make positive changes that will make me a happier person.
Until next time,
-J
Saturday 3 January 2009
Sorry for the Delay!
Hey all,
So, much has happened since November, including a birthday party, exams, 2 car accidents, Christmas and New Year's. That's a lot of ground to cover. First off, there was Nath and Mike's birthday party in Medicine Hat. We had cake and presents and Sali even made 
a pinata for us to break. We had a lot of fun with that.
a pinata for us to break. We had a lot of fun with that.Next, was exams. I was studying like mad, trying to get everything together, and apparently I did because I passed everything with pretty good marks. Thank goodness for that. I finished my exams on the 16th and at 5:50am on the 17th I flew home. The next 2 weeks flew by in a flurry of work, baking, parties and fun.
From the moment I got home, I had a million things to do. My mom had purchased a big screen tv and hadn't hooked it up yet, because she didn't know how. That was my first project. Then there was the baking. I sort of roped my friend Joe and his friend Marly into helping me with my holiday baking. In about 5 hours we made 2 batches of shortbread and 2 amazingly awesome New York style cheesecakes (which I'd never made before). The day after that I made another batch of shortbread, butter tarts and sugar pie. 
Then Christmas came along, all too quickly, and we had presents, food, and time with family for the next few days. It was really awesome. Throughout all of this I was working for my previous bosses at Subway just to earn a little extra cash to cover expenses. It's a good thing I did, because in the past month I got in 2 separate car accidents. One in Lethbridge and one in Ottawa.
The one in Lethbridge was not my fault, but my car is basically a write-off. We're not sure what the insurance company is doing about it, since it was the holidays and no one was working. The second one only happened 2 days ago. I was in Ottawa on my way to work and driving my sister's car, when the guy in front of me (who was lost) decided he was going to turn into a parking lot to the right. The sun was shining on the back of his car, so I couldn't see his brake lights, and he put his signal light on at the last second, which was too late for me to stop, and I slammed on my brakes and rammed right into the back of his car.
Both my airbags deployed and I got severe whiplash, but thankfully the Lord watched over me and it wasn't something more serious. My sister's car was also a write-off, but she didn't have collision insurance for it, so we get nothing. That being said, I have to start working again so that I can help her pay for a new car. I'm going to talk to my old boss (the Subway nazi!!) and ask if I can start working there again. Hopefully I'll be able to manage my schedule!
Anyway, I got back to Lethbridge yesterday and have basically spent most of my time sleeping and trying to rid myself of this cold I got in Ottawa. My roommates get home tomorrow and I start classes again on Wednesday. It should be fun. Wish me luck!
Until next time,
-J
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