Another graduation

Just a quick update after this weekend: my sister made it across the stage and accepted her high school degree with dignity, and she sang the national anthem beautifully in front of thousands of people!

And of course I had plenty of fun with Andrew's parents. We cooked, we shopped, we sewed, we watched movies... good stuff. And I slept so well with air conditioning that I'm a little bit sad to be back. But not sad to see Andrew again!

Life as of late

I'm just loving it these days. Things haven't exactly turned out the way we expected but it's good. It's great even. Not being in school the last week has been awesome. We're just enjoying having very few responsibilities for the last time in a long time. Graduation was just as exciting as I had hoped it would be, and then the fun was extended for another week with Andrew's parents staying in Utah. My mother-in-law and I went to women's conference at BYU and it was just fantastic. I had always wanted to go -- all those ladies storming campus with their cute raincoats, holding little notebooks and travelling in groups of two or three looked like they were having the time of their life. Now having done it myself, I can say it was definitely a blast. I'd make this a yearly tradition if I could. Maybe someday.

We attended classes on "avoiding the entitlement trap", virtue and chastity for adults (we actually kind of fell asleep in that one... ahem), true beauty, bridging differences in marriage... this one was one of my favorite: it was`taught by a marriage therapist from Utah and her husband, a pioneer in the Church in Ghana. They certainly came across a lot of challenges together, and they had some great stories and advice. My favorite part in that session was the wife's answer she received to the question of whether or not they should marry: "if the Gospel of Christ is your culture, your marriage will thrive."

We also attended one session called "You can either laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache" - it was plenty of fun. It was essentially about meeting life's challenges with humor, having a positive attitude about things. Of course, we laughed a lot. We also attended a service night, where I tied my very first fleece blanket.

And some poor kid is going to have a messed-up blanket...

Whoops... I guess it's the thought that counts? Then there was a concert on Thursday night, and that was tons of fun. One thing is for sure: Mormon women love Alex Boyé!

It was hilarious, the crowds went wild! And we also got a surprise visit from Eliza R Snow herself :)

I think my absolute favorite talk though was one that Lisa & Matthew Richardson gave (Br. Richardson was just called as a counselor to the general Sunday School Presidency). They spoke together as a team (with those little mics that attach to your ear) and the way they played off of each other was hilarious. They were so much fun! And their enthusiasm was contagious. They spoke about being "armed with principles that never change." They also talked a lot about how work is actually a good in and of itself, not just something we do to get out of the way. That was kind of a theme I got from the whole conference in fact, that work is a blessing not just a duty. They used the example of Adam and Eve's marriage and life throughout the talk and Sister Richardson said something that really struck me: they were talking about how Satan told Adam and Eve to hide themselves when they had eaten the fruit, because they were naked. God comes and asks "who told thee thou art naked?" They didn't even know they were supposed to be ashamed, really, until someone pointed it out - and she paralleled that with today, when we are ashamed of our choices or feel inadequate because of what we think others expect us to do or be. Similarly, she asked the following question: "Who told thee thou art inadequate? Who told thee thou art not enough of that or too much of this?" We shouldn't be looking for the World's approval, we should be thinking about what God cares we do. I suppose I knew that, but putting it in those terms really hit home for me.

Who told thee thou art inadequate?


What an incredible reminder of who we should really strive to please, where we should set our sights. I'm posting my notes from the conference here, if you're interested -- they're kind of all over the place but there are some good bits :) This conference was a wonderful experience; the talks were inspiring and reinvigorating, and the company was absolutely delightful!

In other news, if you're still reading: I'm getting some dental work as well as getting all four of my wisdom teeth taken out Thursday. Wish me luck. The dentist promised happy gas, so at least the operation itself won't be too bad; it's the aftermath I'm really scared about. Voilà!

Graduation

Well we did it. We walked, and we got our pictures taken, and we threw hats.

Broadcast people - before the majestic climbing of the walkway.

We also ate a lovely dinner and enjoyed the company of friends and family.

Magleby's -- they catered our wedding, it's only fair
we have graduation dinner with them too :)

I'm going to miss the Heaps!

Last silly time with Haleigh for a long time :(

Elder Oaks

"The mark you receive as a BYU graduate is neither involuntary nor self-imposed. You sought this mark, and it is put upon you by proper authority. After today you have more than a new line on your resume. You have been marked. As a BYU graduate, you are, as we say, a marked man or woman.

...

“We all have marks or labels upon us. Our names and many characteristics of our appearance, such as family similarities, are marks. So is our speech. These marks are involuntary. Other marks are voluntarily assumed, like religious symbols that various faiths use on their apparel, which we honor, and tattoos, which we discourage. Our Savior is the model for the self-imposed mark of the utmost significance.”

...

‘You all have a mark upon you after today — you will be known as a graduate of Brigham Young University, which is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The people who know you and see you will judge the Church by you. Your great mission is to hold the banner high.’"

Just striking a pose, you know

I did it Ma!

Where's Andrew?

That's Master Andrew to you!

Brother Curtis, News director extraordinaire

And best of all: we graduated!

"Are we done taking pictures yet?"

No way! Yay pictures!

Here we go

Well, here we are: commencement day. Tomorrow, we get our degrees and then it's off to...

That's right: Casper, Wyoming!

Andrew accepted an internship with the city's budget office that they very strongly suggested will turn into a job offer at the end of the summer. And I'm going to haul myself on over to their TV station and demand a job.

Is it out in the middle of nowhere? Yup.
Is it somewhat... savage country? Yup.
And don't start me on the fact that Casper, Wyoming is ranked at the very bottomy-bottom of the reporting food chain.

BUT considering the fact we wanted to go somewhere we both have job opportunities, it's actually not a bad deal. In fact, it's not a bad deal at all: we'll have jobs in the same city (which is AWESOME considering what we were starting to look at) and it might be kind of fun to live it up with the cowboys for a while. You gotta start somewhere! We also just found out what Andrew's starting salary would be, and we're both feeling really good about that... :)

Off we go to the Wild Wild West!

Hey look, we're grads:

Awards submission: done

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

My last story aired today and they are all DONE! My news director sent it all off today. Now, we wait. My letter says they'll make a decision early May, hopefully it's actually early May cause I want to know now! Even if I don't make the cut (there are ten students nationally competing, only five make it to San Francisco), I'll have  a very much improved resume reel which is awesome. And I can definitely be happy about that -- it won't have been in vain.

Here's the final installment:

And now, I'm basically done with school! I still have a few papers/forms to send in, and my internship goes until the 25th, but otherwise that's it! I can't believe the end is here. Right now, I just want to take a nice, long nap. For two days.

Oh, and you should watch this incredible video about the Kimanguiste Symphony Orchestra -- beautiful music in the midst of terrible violence and poverty.
It will give you much joy.

Reporting

can be maddening. Especially when everything goes wrong because of stupid technical problems. Ugh. And there's still so much to do!

Oh hey, I look blissfully happy here, when in fact I was probably running on empty and stressed out of my mind about a story. Blegh. Almost done.

Progress.. and awesome video

So I'm making progress. Finally. I'm praying that a woman I just talked to on the phone will agree to an on-camera interview -- she would be PERFECT. Everything else is actually close to wrapped up, which is miraculous at this point.

Also, my grandmother was called to be the primary pianist in my home ward -- and my aunt caught a piece of it! I love it :)
She was a concert pianist and taught children and adults for many years, but in the past years she couldn't play anymore for various health reasons. Lately though, she's started playing again, and it's a wonderful thing to see.

And check out my latest story -- a feature on community-supported agriculture.

Nothing too serious, but this is meant to be a feature, not an investigative report. The next two are the real deal though -- and I'm close to done on both of them! Hallelujah!

Privacy

So yeah, I went private. I hate it, because that means nobody will read anymore. Not that I had hundreds of readers anyway, but my precarious following will all but disappear. Oh well, maybe that's not all that bad... Because sometimes when total strangers read things you have to say, they misinterpret or judge too quickly, or all sorts of crazy things. At least this way I have control over who has access.

So, Lydia's life right now:



Did you pick up on the subtle theme? Things were going fine until I discovered I won that journalism award. Don't get me wrong, I am elated. But now I need to send in more news stories, and I'm terrified of it not being good enough. It would SUCK if I made it this far and then didn't make the final in San Francisco! And then there's the other factor... time. I wake up before the sun is out and I typically get home after dark. WHEN am I supposed to produce these award-winning pieces?! That's a little problem I hadn't factored into my schedule at the beginning of the semester. Ugh. I know, I shouldn't complain because this is an incredible opportunity and I am so, so honored to get a shot at it. But I feel like it's nearly impossible to succeed now, given the time constraints I have. Thankfully, I've been able to get subs for the weather on Fridays, so I at least won't have an obligation then anymore, but that only gives me a precious four hours a week during business hours. Sigh. I can do this right? right?

Ok, Lydia needs some inspiration.



Phew, that's a little better. And I am really quite lucky to have a husband deeply involved in local government, because he's given me two awesome story ideas. And I'm excited. I can do this.

Lovely things

Yes, I'm alive. It's a miracle I'm finally posting here. Taking an extra job in the wee morning hours was a crazy decision, but I love doing what I love. You know.

Just wanted to share something beautiful. (You guys, I'm so hip, I'm posting about obscure foreign artists!)

But really, this is lovely. She is lovely.



Also, I just discovered this blog. I like the author, she is well-spoken (I suppose I should say well-written) and a lovely artist. I'm just full of inspiration these days I guess. Check her out.

And now I'll leave you because it's way past my bedtime... (I can't wait to have a normal schedule again...)

Oh, PS: I get to represent BYU in the TV hard news category of the Hearst Journalism Awards (with another girl from my program). That doesn't really mean too much, just that our news director chose who got to compete in it. But it does mean that I get a shot at it. Hey, it's the small victories.

Lovin' it

This semester has been good to me so far

Also, you should read the latest MWP interview - she's amazing: this woman was in her last year at the Princeton Theological Seminary, studying to become a protestant minister when she converted to the Church. What an act of faith to leave behind not only your religion but also your entire career!

First Day of Fake School

Well yeah: no classes, no homework. Just a sweet internship, anchoring, and a job I love!

Probably the only perk of getting up this early: watching the sun rise. Or sleeping on the bus. Or both.

Redundant me

Way too many of my sentences start with "I read an article the other day..."

Seriously, it's pathological. But I really do read some good articles. And since everybody's stressing about finals while I chill out and enjoy my freedom (I technically have two finals left but I'm not really concerned, they're pretty straightforward exams), I've had lots of time to read interesting things. Or listen to interesting things. Have you ever heard of the Round Table, for example? It's a podcast by Mormon women and it's pretty awesome. I'm pretty sure that will be me in a few years. To be completely honest, I would love to have my own talk show and be a professional blogger. I'd go around giving speeches and write books and help people see the good in the world and think about hard things and find solutions... and learn plenty of things in the process for myself. Yup, that's what I really want to do.

Anyway, you should check it out, it's good. Another awesome place you should check out, especially if you're a mom, is http://powerofmoms.com/, founded by an LDS woman (well technically there are several women involved but I think she was one of the original developers) but intended for a general audience.

And since we're talking about interesting articles, here's one I'm reading right now, about boys becoming men (and no, it has nothing to do with boy bands).

Oh and if you really want a good read... you should read my latest interview for the Mormon Women Project! Plug! But really, you can hear (and see!) more about how this Lebanese-French artist discovered the Gospel, which influenced her so much that it quite literally colored her whole art world.

In other news, I attended my last real class of my undergraduate career last week. It feels wonderful, especially because I still have my internship to look forward to. I just found out about another possible anchoring opportunity, but I'll tell more when I actually know more for that one. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though. It was kind of bittersweet anchoring my last newscast and airing my last story on Thursday.

in the voicing booth with my awesome co-anchor, Jenné

The whole Thursday crew. Aw, don't we all look so young and full of hope...

I'm also a bit nervous about the future, let's be honest. Ugh, decisions decisions. It's hard being a grown-up.
At least I've gained great experience and met awesome people. Who knows what will come of it all though... who knows.

Last Newscast

Finals. sort of

It's so close. I can't believe I'm finishing the last classes of my degree.

Oh hey, did I mention I got the internship I wanted? Woohoo! I'll be starting at KSL January 4th and I can't wait.

But in the meantime I am exhausted--I need sleep, I need mental rest, and I really need school to be done. My last story airs Thursday, so watch for that :) And Thursday is also my last day anchoring... kind of sad, I can't believe it's already almost over! Phew. Time to got to bed, I can't muster any interesting writing right now.

Oh, my next interview on the MWP is coming out tomorrow or the next day, so look out for that as well.

Because school is making me miserable right now

so how about some humor for your Wednesday evening:

I wish I were a glow worm,

A glow worm's never glum.

'Cause how can you be

grumpy, when the sun shines 

out your bum?

I need this

Ha ha

Remember my awesome planner?

Yeah, I need to get back on that... but you see, I keep telling my husband that it would be sooo much simpler if I just had an iPhone. Someday perhaps. I can be a patient person.

Also on my list of things-I-need-to-get-back-on: eating well/losing weight, not freaking out about how I compare and doing well in dance... Oh dear.

Bleh

I don't want to not get the internship I want. It will make me very mad. And discouraged.

Wow

It's been a while eh?

I've even started writing two or three posts in the past week, until I realized I had little to say. I'm kind of tired of school these days... and working on longer projects is tiring, so I've got no writing left in me. This weekend was great though. I am so grateful to be able to enter a grocery store and fill up a cart with food. All I have to do is grab it off the shelves and swipe a piece of plastic. Sometimes we don't realize how blessed we are. A girl in one of my classes made some comment about how she's a starving student and I was kind of annoyed. I mean yeah, she's probably not rolling in gold--neither am I--but she has nice clothes, a place to live, food to eat, a good EDUCATION, a brand new haircut... I hardly think we get to complain.

Sometimes I want to, but deep down I know how good I have it. My life is incredible. As stressful as it is to be in school and have a demanding schedule, as scary as it is to be making life-changing decisions for the future... what a wonderful life it is that I even get to make these choices. I have the awful dilemma of getting to chose between a career and having children. Or doing both.

In fact, we're living like kings right now. It really couldn't get much better. (Well, KSL could just decide to hire me straight out of school, that would be pretty awesome. Also, my dad could come for Christmas, that would be cool too. But hey, you can't have everything you dream of.)

Sigh.

But we did have a last hurrah barbecue last week:

aw, ketchup makes him happy

I have to take pictures of myself otherwise it's like I was never there

Look! A sunset!

Or I could make my husband take my picture.
And actually, this "pose" was totally accidental, believe it or not.
It must be my inner repressed fashion blogger.

On a completely unrelated note, I just watched a really good movie. Exam. The British accents probably don't hurt either... But in all seriousness, it's awesome. Go watch it.

Oh also, I learned in stake conference today that I was born to be a homemaker. Awesome. The worst part is that this came from a girl: all the members of the stake presidency gave spiritual, doctrinal talks, but this one girl went on and on about cleaning and decorating. Ugh.

And tomorrow I'm giving a mini presentation on euphemism and hyperbole. Because I NEVER use hyperbole inappropriately. Ever. Ha.

And for a last bit of Sunday night humor:

Have I ever mentioned how much I love The Office?

I wish I were this creative. And that I had an arch-nemesis. Well maybe not, actually. Random story: a guy in my English class told everybody the story about his high school "arch-nemesis" stealing the girl he had a crush on... in complete seriousness. Somebody's been reading too much sci-fi... (Says the girl who posts star trek clips on her blog. Ahem)

More stream of consciousness

I know I've complained too much in the past months, but life is really good these days. Plans seem to be materializing, things seem clearer.

I love my classes--without exception, and it's crazy that it would take until my final semester at BYU. I love reporting, I love anchoring (we're finally going on air this week! Watch at noon on KBYU channel 11 or catch it later on the ElevenNEWS website) and I love my international media systems class and my world religions class (I highly recommend taking them concurrently by the way. Random how that worked out) and I even like my advanced writing class, which I was kind of dragging my feet about. Crazy! And somehow, even though I'm ridiculously busy, I don't feel overwhelmed. (Yet.)

Also, I went for a nice sunset drive tonight and picked flowers and did plenty of homework this weekend and... lots of good stuff.

Oh, and did I mention I found a navy blue blazer that looks great and cost only $21? Yup, you read right. For all of you fellow broadcasters, check out Forever21 for a crazy selection of blazers all the colors of the rainbow for under $30. It's broadcast heaven. And new mascara is nice too. Isn't it sad that you only get to appreciate a new mascara wand once though?

Ha ha

Seriously. Life is good. And since it's Sunday, here is my latest favorite thing from the Round Table. It's a great podcast in general, you should definitely check it out. And here's my new favorite mormon message--this guy is too sweet!