Life is good...

When you make new friends on your way home from work... this little fellow came right up to me and we conversed for a little while. (it also could've helped that I had baklava in a paper bag and shared the spoils of war)


When there are people willing to protect you from the big bad campus rapists and make sure you always get home safely...


When there are brilliant people around you...


When you get to see old roommates and they're all moving on with their lives!


When you have fantastic sisters like mine that are super cool and get the same hoodie as you !


And of course, it helps to have a nice boy around.... :)

Dance

I love dance. I love to watch it, I love to learn about it, I love to do it, I love to talk about it... I love dance. But there are some times that I lose sight of that because of everything else.
I love having the opportunity to dance at BYU for the Ballroom dance company, and putting on a show, whether in a competition or on stage, is one of the best feelings in the world. I can't wait for Ballroom Dance in Concert where people will actually pay to come see me dance! (okay, I have to not kid myself, they're coming for the tour team, but still...) I get to be a part of something so much bigger than my petty life, and it's also just plain fun.
But sometimes, when you have to wake up before the sun rises to go practice, or when you're going over and over and over the same steps and can't see any improvement, or when some people are rude and make you feel worthless, or when you watch a video of your dancing and realize there's still so much work to be done, it can be discouraging.
Those are the times when I just have to kick myself and refuse to quit. And then, I go around a bend and break through and things get better, and I'm progressing again! I think it's a lot like life: there are hard times where you just have to pull through by remembering the good times, and then before you realize it, the good times are back again!!

When it gets cold and grey...

There are still things to celebrate even when it gets cold and icky outside, and the sun sets earlier. For example, this winter sunset.




And this is what I get to see outside my window at work:



So winter's not all that bad sometimes :)

Family

Charles (my uncle) came to visit last week, and gave a speech to the MPA (Masters of Public Administration) students at BYU. It's always a blessing to be with people who love you unconditionally and have known you all your life--that's one thing that makes family so great; and I just like my uncle :)
I realized one thing however: it's weird to mix worlds! For example, having my sister at BYU for the first time was a bit confusing because in my carefully organised world, Amelia belongs in France with the rest of my family! And it was the same with Charles: going around campus with him pointing out his favorite places and telling stories was great though-- in a way, I'm living a lot of the experiences he did!