Hey family! How's life?!
"Life's great Bryce! How's yours?"
Glad you asked! Life is fantastic right now! I'm a little more busy then I like to be, but it's a good kind of busy...a GREAT kind of busy. Too busy doing awesome things and learning, and growing, and going on adventures kind of busy! This semester is a dream come true! Like...I thought last semester was good...but take all the fun and great stuff about last semester and throw in awesome roommates, a great place to live and more free time to go on adventures and you have this semester! Last semester I did some pretty awesome stuff...But I was taking 21 credits 4 institute classes, and had 2 part time jobs...yup pretty dang busy... This semester I'm only taking 17 credits, I have 1 job, and I only have 3 institute classes. I still feel like I'm just as busy as last semester though...
So time for a mini rant about how awesome my roommate it (since I probably ranted about how bad my past roommates are...this one deserves a rant too haha) He's awesome! My house is all Rm's and great guys, but the best of the best is Tyrone! He's the most humble funniest nicest guy I could hope for (or pray for...I actually prayed him into my life haha). He's the opposite of all my other roommates in every way. He's a pretty quiet guy, but he has one of those personalities where he is just suuuuper funny without ever trying to be. Especially when he tells stories..priceless..haha. Plus he's a fairly deep sleeper and doesn't even wake up or mind if I turn on a light when I come in (he told me to just turn on the light). He's super easy to talk to, and he is super clean. He also doesn't really take up much room haha he didn't put any of his clothes except his suit in the closet so he said I could use the whole thing...And I have alot of crap so that was super nice haha.
Anyways the rant is over...I really like my roommate. I've planned 6 or 7 dates with him already and we haven't even been in school a month.
I went on 4 dates this week! That's a bit more than normal, usually I only go on a date Tuesdays and occasional Saturdays.
Some fun dates I've been on include but are not limited too...Tin foil dinners, trip to the mountain to play in the snow, bowling, skipping glow in the dark rocks, glow in the dark works bombs, tandem biking, square dancing, caving, launching glow in the dark golf balls off red knolls, racing homemade boats down the river (constructed with leftover materials and glow sticks), barbecue at the river, game night (I found pass the pigs in my picnic basket!) Notice the recurring glow theme...haha I like glowing objects :D This week I think I'm going to play glow in the dark racquetball, or flaming racquetball (using hand sanitizer soaked tennis balls...:D)
Actually...all those were in the past two weeks, but they were all combined together, so not THAT many dates. I've found the best way to plan dates is to plan way to many activities then you have time for. Then just go with the pace of the date and what people want to do, then you never reach that awkward moment of "oh...we finished that half hour activity...well...what do we do now" situation. And I've got to say...these dates have been pretty awesome :D I'm planning one this Friday with Tyrone, we're taking my tandem bike and his tandem trike, and doing the whole goodwill date sorta thing at the thrift shops in thatcher, then were having a bbq at the duck ponds (steak I think...it's on sale at bashas). Were also going to make watermelon smoothies...where you take a drill and a hanger and you bend the hanger to clean out the inside of the watermelon into a slushy drink thing. Then were going to carve the watermelons like pumpkins...except valentines themed most likely. Oh and we'll feed the ducks while we're there...probably, and maybe do a few other things...anyways it should be fun. It'd actually be an opportune day to become a "true gila monster" if I hadn't sworn off kissing girls, since it is a full moon that night. (You're supposed to kiss under the clock tower at midnight to become a true gila monster according to EA folklore.
I think my biggest predicament about college is how to use my time. Really...that's always my biggest predicament, I never have a spare moment, and I like it that way. But there's just so much I could be doing, and other things I should be doing, and other things I'd like to be doing, but they're all good things! Haha like right now...I could be at a Milkshake party at one friends house, or I could be at a Crepe party at another friends house. Or I could be reading my scriptures (I'm actually addicted to reading the BOM right now...it's like my favorite thing to do...) Or I could be learning piano, like one of my new years resolutions would want me to do. Or I could put away my laundry, or I could be practicing my music for one of my 4 choirs...since I need to memorize everything...Or I could be practicing for my voice lessons...actually I REALLY need to do that..I've only practiced an hour a week...the required/recommended hours is 3 to 4...Voice lessons are awesome by the way, it feels different when I sing now, and people have noticed that my voice has changed. She gives lots of good tips...I just need to find some time to practice them and get them into habits and muscle memory.
Or another time predicament is what I'm going to do this Saturday, I was going to plan a trip to tucson with a friend to go spelunking in peppersauce caves...but people keep inviting me to other fun things, like repelling and cool group dates etc.
Sometimes I pray for help in choosing the best activity and use of time. I think God loves me enough to care about my happiness and thus he cares about how I use my time or what activities might be one in a life opportunities and such. Like this weekend...I had the opportunity to go Snowboarding at sunrise for $20! That's insane! Lift ticket, rental equipment, and lessons included, I'd chip in for gas and we'd stay at my friend's house in St. Johns...It sounded perfect..But I would have had to miss a bio test (which are easy to make up) and I would have missed company (the dancing performing group) and they were running everything we've learned up to this point...and since I'm not very good at memorizing choreography I felt like I couldn't miss it...since I'm already probably the worst dancer there. And I didn't want to miss band again...I seem to miss band alot.
Consequently because I chose to put off the natural Bryce and yield to the spirit which told me to stay home and just study for my biology test...I was rewarded haha After the bio test I saw a flier for the annual fiddler's convention, with a potluck, and square dancing, and other types of dancing, polka and waltz. So I texted my friends, and got a group of 15 or so of us to go out and try it out...and Man was that fun. We brought food (I made guacamole mom! And it tasted delishious! Tomatos, and lime juice, and onion, and salt, and the whole shibang!). Anyways the food was great, the live music was awesome and square dancing was super fun! The old people there were all super excited to have us there and were super nice and always trying to appease us. Apparently they have a square dancing club on thursday nights that costs $5 to get in to...but they said since we're poor college kids we could just go for free haha. Oh and I didn't plan this one as a date, but I the girl who was my dance partner the whole night texted me after it was over saying thank you for taking her, and that it was one of the best dates she's ever been on...so I'm counting it as a date now haha.
I also went on two other dates on Saturday...which were both phenomenal, but this is getting long so I won't describe them save to say that at one I met a girl who has 8 quads....EIGHT QUADS! I've been trying to find a friend with quads all semester long! There's soooooo many good offroading spots here! But all the local guys are on missions which are the only people who own quads. Anyways I have a date with her already set up for quading...actually I think we'll probably go on mutiple dates...haha I'm totally using her and I made jokes about using her for her stuff...but she's fine with it and we get along really well so it'll be fun. (ok...I kinda said I wasn't going to describe anymore dates...but I'm excited about this one so...I will anyways...) We're going to go to the dunes by duncan and ride around there, and go sand surfing with a car hood (I have a friend with any car parts I want..) and other fun stuff like that, then there's natural hot spring right next to the dunes that we can relax in after we're all beat up :D Doesn't that sound great! Anyways I'm excited...actually I'm excited all the time...about just about everything...Life's exciting guys, the church is true! Missions are great! College is fun! Prayer works! Life can't get much better! You know I think that pretty much every year...that it can't get much better than this...and I always get proved wrong...But it's great to be wrong sometimes haha.
I was going to send this now...but I realized that is just sounds like I'm partying all the time...haha Well I'm not...I'm actually not out nearly as late as I was last semester, I get much more sleep, I'm doing well in my classes. I go to the temple every Tuesday, I'm reading my scriptures freverantly...I look forward to times I get to read them...like alot.. I love them. I figured out that if I read 10 pages a day from the standard works I'll be able to finish all the standard works before my mission..and preach my gospel. That includes all of the bible and the pearl of great price...so that's what I'm doing, and often times I'll find myself staying up late into the night just reading it for pleasure, because it's a good story! I love reading the scriptures when I read in large amounts, than the background and context is fresh in my mind and I get more out of it.
I'm eat much healthier than I did last semester, I'm learning to cook...slowly. People are more than willing to teach me, but I often don't have time to go to their houses and cook with them...or really time to cook much at all. But I am cooking! The only thing that kinda stinks is flight prices went up $400 from last week...So I guess I should have bought them then..I don't even have enough money in my bank account to buy a flight now...So I guess I get to wait even longer! Haha...well...it'll work out.
Anyways sorry for making this kinda long, I love you all, sorry for not really writing much! But I think you kinda get that I'm kinda busy after reading this...so hopefully you'll understand haha.
Te amo!
Oh and other good news...that I just got...I got re-assigned for my home teaching duties and I get to teach normal people now! (I got assigned the problem children of the ward last semester...haha) and two houses of girls! :D So fun stuff...and My family home evening group I'm in charge of doubled in size! Because bishop assigned all the new coming ward members into my group! So that's fun! (and a little stressful...it's hard planning activities for bigger groups...).
K that's it...sorta...hopefully...
New Edit: I just bought a plane ticket to Germany! took me tour hours of shopping around...but I found one for $1307 round trip with a layover, in Ny and London England! I'm super excited! I'm leaving May 29th and getting back July 22nd! Europe here I come! :D
