And That's Good for Another Cougar...First Down!

I love my roommates - all three of them. They are all completely different, but each has something great to contribute to our apartment. However, two of them don't share mine and Courtney's same passion for sports, in particular football and basketball. They say that they will never understand. And likely they never really will. But this has got me thinking lately - why? Why do I love standing in freezing temperatures for four hours to watch twenty two college guys in tight pants fighting over a ball? Why do I love standing shoulder to shoulder with a few thousand other screaming students to watch ten guys in baggy shorts trying to throw a ball through a hoop? Why is it that while many girls cringe at the thought of watching a four hour football game on TV, I get anxious with excitement?

Thinking back to the BYU-Utah football game a couple months ago helps me answer these questions. The team was in the old school royal blue uniforms, I drove down to the game from Salt Lake with my parents and siblings, I got to spend the entire game with my brothers and sister in law, and my whole family was there before the game to tailgate. This game reminded me of why I love Cougar sports. The whole game I kept flashing back to my first game at Lavell Edward's Stadium (then Cougar Stadium). Then I thought of the many games that followed in the stadium.

I remembered driving down I-15 in our old Aerostar van listening to Yz guyz with my family.

I remembered sitting next to my dad, asking him why that penalty got called or why they ran this play - I remembered him patiently explaining the complicated rules of football over and over to me until I began to understand.

I remembered standing up with my mom to yell and scream then sing the fight song following a touchdown.

I remembered going to stand in the long line at the drinking fountain at half time during particularly hot games.

I remembered my mom bringing in sandwiches for all of us when we got hungry.

I remembered stopping at my grandparent's house before the game to visit with them and pick some apples from my grandpa's trees.

I remembered my parents making sure they kept every Saturday open so we could be together as a family either at the game or in our living room watching it on TV.

I remembered my disappointment as each of my siblings in turn left our family's spot in the North endzone to go join the student section - then I remembered my excitement when I could join them there too.

Even today BYU sports are a family event for me. Rarely do I go to or watch a sporting event without at least one of my siblings. I fully realize that when it all comes down to it, football and basketball are just that - games. But watching them has become so much more than a game for me. It has become a way to connect with my siblings, share a common interest, and create amazing memories.

This is why I love BYU (and college) football and basketball. This is why I still make sure that I make it to every game. BYU sports (and sports in general for that matter) have always been a family event. Some of my favorite memories growing up happened at BYU sporting events, with my family by my side, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Forgotten Blog

So I am at my home in Riverton on this lovely Saturday night. I'm sitting in a banana chair in our living room watching a basketball game on BYU classic sports that happened eleven years ago...with my parents. Now some college students might call my night pathetic or lame or just plain boring. I, on the other hand, couldn't be happier. This last week has been one of the longest and hardest weeks I can remember. No, my dog didn't die, nor did my grandma; I didn't spend the week in the hospital or have a fight with my best friend. I didn't even fail a test or ruin my chance with my big crush. It was just a long week. You know those times when you feel completely out of control, like Satan is throwing everything he has at you? Not any big things, but a million little things? Those times when you feel so insecure and so worried about what the future will bring and so ready to just go to sleep and wake up a couple months later? Those times when you feel all alone even though you know you are surrounded by so many people who care about you so much? That was this week. But coming home and being with my siblings and parents seems to help me put things in perspective. All it takes is one 45 minute car ride with my brothers and sister-in-law and suddenly the world starts to seem a little brighter. I walk in the door and immediately feel secure, loved, and just plain content. Everything that has been weighing me down all week is gone and I am home.

It is on this night, sitting in my parent's living room, that I decided to check up on my long lost blog. I found that I had forgotten the url to my own blog. "This is a problem," I said to myself, "I need to do something about this." I decided right then and there I was going to blog. But first I needed to remember how to get to the blog. Three tries later I found myself staring at my most recent post (nearly four months ago) entitled "Choices, Change, and the Unknown." Wow. It seems like that is what life is composed of, regardless of what stage of life you're in. It's so easy to fall into the pattern of, "I'll be happy when..." But if I can't be happy now, how can I expect to be happy in the future? Each new stage of life brings new challenges and new trials, but also new blessings. And with so many amazing people who love me surrounding me and with my Savior by my side I cannot fail and I can find joy and happiness in every stage of life, regardless of what trials come my way.

Choices, Change, and the Unknown

It seems like everytime I feel like I have things figured out and my future seems at least somewhat certain something swoops in to change my plans. You see for the past year I have been almost certain that I wanted to graduate from BYU in April of 2011 with a bachelor's in Communication Disorders, then go to grad school at BYU and become an SLP. However, over the past few months I have had the opportunities to work with Trish, our feeding specialist at work. She holds a weekly feeding group for parents to bring their kids to who have various feeding difficulties. Working with Trish at this class has been amazing. I love watching her interact with the kids and educate the parents. I have learned so much from talking to her and assisting her in the class.

This has made me start to think about other possible post-graduate options, namely occupational therapy. I have spent several hours today looking into what it would take to be able to apply to OT programs. What I've found is that although it would be difficult at this point, it would definitely be very possible and it kind of makes me very excited to think about it. However, I still get excited about the prospect of becoming an SLP and I have loved learning from and interacting with the SLPs at work.

So you can see where my dilemma comes in. Two good options - two options that I will enjoy and that will make me happy. What to do, what to do?