Life Lately

I've been bad at this since school started. I decided that the best way to do an update is to do it more as a list of what I'm grateful for. Because life is good. And I have a lot of things to be grateful for.

1. School: School is really good. It's different, that's for sure. All of my classes are with the same 8 people (including me). They are also mostly discussion based. I feel like I'm learning a lot, but time is flying by. I'm taking less credit hours and working less than I ever have, so I actually sort of feel like I have a lot of time on my hands. Which sort of makes me worried that I'm missing something. But really I like it. 

2. Classmates: My cohort is pretty awesome. I'm the youngest, but not by nearly as much as I was afraid I would be. We only have two boys and, interestingly, they both are married and either just had or are about to have a baby. One of them is working with the same professor as I am. And it has been awesome working with him. We've spent a lot of time together this past month or so. It's really nice to have a sounding board and someone who is interested in the same things as me, but who doesn't intimidate me. Group work and sharing the load is very encouraged in our program, and I feel like we have done a good job of this. Also, even though trying new therapy techniques and such is scary because we have never done it, everyone is supportive and non-judgmental. 

3. Research: Research has been going surprisingly well. I spend about 10 hours a week writing and it is shocking how much work I've been able to get done. I spend another 5 hours a week working on running participants in our ongoing research projects. It's been great. And it really is true that the more you get into it the more ideas you have. Also, my first paper was officially published on the 20th. Yep, pretty dang awesome.

4. My mentor: In case I haven't said enough before, I got really lucky with my mentor. He wants his students to succeed, so he doesn't put tons of pressure on, but at the same time expects a lot from us. It's the perfect balance to help me reach my potential by pushing myself but not getting overwhelmed. And he genuinely wants me to do the research that I am most interested in. He doesn't have his own agenda in that way, which is great.

4. Roommates: My roommates are the greatest. We are all super busy and so don't get to spend tons of time together. Which means when we are together, we are crazy and obnoxious. Seriously, we already drove some boys away because we were so hyper at being together. We hung out with them three or four times one week, and after our hyper night, we never heard from them again. I love my girls. They make me laugh and we eat delicious food together. I love it. And they keep me sane when I get stressed or feel like I'm going crazy. 

5. Family: I get to see my family a lot, which I love. Alicia and her family live close, so I see them the most often, but with BYU football in season, I usually see everyone else pretty often as well. I got to spend a little extra time with Abby and Max a couple of weeks ago, which was really fun.

6. Temple: I have been going to the temple more consistently this semester than I have in the past. It has been good to have that in my life. It's a very peaceful and stablizing influence for me. Even if I have to wake up much earlier than I normally would. Also, the Ogden Temple Dedication was awesome. It is really neat to sit in the Marriott with so many people united in such an incredible experience and spirit.

7. Gospel knowledge and testimony: We have a girl in our program who isn't a member (well, two actually, but one that I talk to more). She is one of those people who likes to thoroughly research everything, so she found out quite a lot about the Church before coming to Provo. And she has some great roommates who decided to do roommate "Bible study" as she calls it, though they always read the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible, so it's more scripture study. Anyway, it has lead to a lot of interesting conversations. She is very religious, so even if she doesn't believe what we do, she doesn't act as if it is too far fetched. Still, I have been extremely grateful that I have studied the gospel and can answer her questions. And that I can definitively say that it isn't just a gospel doctrine but something that I believe or know to be true. 

8. Past experiences: In our psychotherapy class, we practice giving each other therapy. It's hard for me to come up with something to talk about as the patient though, because, to be honest, I think I'm in the best mental health I have been in for a while. I'm not too stressed out by the program, in fact, I think my life is less busy now than it has been in the past because my work is research, instead of working on top of doing research. Plus, nothing dramatic has happened yet this semester that requires a lot of extra emotional attention on my part. I feel very prepared for the things going on in my life and I'm very grateful for it.

9. Ward: Although we haven't had very many normal Sundays yet, I think I like this ward a lot. They seem to be easier to relate to than some of my wards in the past. Plus, we've made friends with a few people who seem to find our apartment dynamic entertaining and fun. We like people who think we are funny, because we certainly think we are.

10. Answers: After years of not knowing why I was having a lot of joint pain, I went to the doctor last week and he said he believes it is benign hypermobility syndrome. My shoulders, elbows, fingers, spine, and knees all are off about 10 degrees when they are straightened and are thus working too hard. While it might sound weird to be grateful for having that, I am. It could be a lot worse. And probably the worse thing of all would have been more questions without any answers. So I'm grateful.

I have a few more updates and things from the summer, but for now this will have to do!