Conference-a-thon

If you were wondering what we do in my Athletic Training classes, this is it. We wanted to make sure that ultrasound and short wave diathermy actually increase tissue temperature (thereby promoting injury healing) deep within the muscle. So we stabbed Matt with huge temperature probes 3cm into his calf while I ultrasounded him (and played 300 Violin Orchestra to make it more intense).

Remember how my class tried to vote me president and I vetoed it, in favor of another kid who actually volunteered (poor sap)? Well this week, he told me that I'm the voice for the class and asked whether we should have an activity Friday or Saturday. All the power with none of the responsibility. Or meetings. I'm all about that life.


I missed the AT Club meeting (except for the last five minutes, which conveniently preceded the pizza and free shirts) due to class, but a classmate gave me the DL: email this guy and you can go to fun conferences in cool places paid for by BYU. I emailed the guy and it turns out that I accidentally applied for a district AT committee position thing that I still don't fully understand yet, but only one person from each college gets the position and I won. Weird.

I took my first real test (since I don't know if you count a 30-question multiple-choice test that my teacher gave out the answer for in advance and is open book). Chemistry: as my blog sidebar reads, I am trained quite well in this category. Especially open-ended questions. Cake.

Me, Matt, Clain

Me, Sarah, Lindsey

Laser Tag. Again. My roommates and some other friends made a last-minute decision to go to the sketchy down town arcade for a nice battle. My team, the Spiderpigs, won (thanks to some random kids-reigning US National Laser Tag Champions-who joined our team last minute). Holla.










Check Comic Con off the bucket list. I woke up early so Sarah could paint my face and then put contacts in without even messing it up.








I was Darth Mall, minus the double-sided red light saber. Derek was a ghost. Classic.

 I saw the cast from my favorite movie. As we were taking this picture, the waitress threw confetti in the air and said "Mazel tov".

I bought a t shirt of Admiral Ackbar in an admiral costume and won a free bookmark and $5 off a haunted house. 

 I went to a panel on how to make movies on a low budget and Derek went to a panel on Lost.

Shoutout to Cam, my templing buddy, who not only did a session with me, but also helped me acquire the required face paints.

 Then I had to wash my face paint off so I could go to women's conference with Emarie, Lyndsie, and Sarah. We had practically front row seats and then hung out with Mama Swenson and the cousins for dinner. Then I carried the kids around like footballs while we were looking for the parking garage.

 Let me tell you about my best friends: Lauren and Emarie. I love them a lot. They're ridiculous and crazy and wonderful and sometimes lie outlandishly. I would literally do anything for them. That's all.

And speaking of people I love, Tad R. Callister is speaking at a stake devotional tonight and I'm so excited. And I'm going to make movies with all my friends this week. La vie est belle.

Grilled Cheese with Onions

Sunday was the start of something wonderful. And by that I mean, my wonderful roommate, Emarie Swenson and I did weekly planning. And it worked out so well. I downloaded a To-Do List App and put all my assignments on there with time frames. Every day I get to check off boxes as I do things and I actually accomplish them all with plenty of time to spare. Holla. Emarie and I also went on a short walk to the swings while she read me Isaiah. She's the best.

This week is my last week where I actually have to go to work every night at the Cougareat. Which is good, because next week I have a plethora of tests to take care of and would otherwise have zero time to do so. But I hurried home Monday so I could make it to Callings Night. What is Callings Night, you may ask? Good question. There was a table with ice cream and plenty of toppings that the ward enjoyed while waiting for an interview with one of the bishopric to get a calling. This happened to take place in my friend, Matt's, apartment and I had my interview in his room. Scandalous.

Moment you've all been waiting for: I am on the Spiritual and Temporal Welfare Committee. What does that mean? Another great inquiry. (Because not even the interviewer could grant me a satisfactory answer.) However, I had my first committee meeting today, so I can tell you our main responsibilities are employment specialization, ward prayer, and emergency preparedness. I am the latter. Which means get ready for the 12-part series How to Pull a Handcart 101, including (among others) the following courses:
     1. How to survive on only dandelions and watermelon rinds
     2. How to fight off a zombie attack
     3. How to win allies and influence them to feed you
     4. How to organize a last-minute 3v3 basketball tournament
All emergencies. All my strong suits. Welcome to the ward.

Here's the twisted web of my life. Ryan Sagers (my old AP) and Abby Luthi (a lovely mission companion) are married. They set Emarie Swenson (my spectacular roommate/MTC companion) up Christian (Ryan's cousin, who's great). And they set me (the greatest human) up with Corbin (Christian's best friend, who is delightful). It was a blast and I was glad Emarie set it up.

I discovered that Christian, Ryan, and Corbin used to make movies when they were kids. And they're hilarious. So Team Hutchfilms and Team Timpview (and also Emarie, who has awesome ideas all the time!) are teaming up to make some memories. Little do they know. We're just as crazy as they are.

Friday I got to Skype Lauren in Italy and she told me all about her adventures and all the chances she has to teach people about the gospel. Jealous. Next time, we'll go on a foreign adventure together. I also practiced my accordion skills, which remain dismal at best.

The athletically gifted Emarie Swenson convinced me to run the Dirty Dash with her. As a 10K. As Kevin says, I would 10 kill myself. It was awesome and, as usual, I was glad Emarie convinced me to do it. We climbed through trenches of mud up to my waist and then it would dry up, and then back to the trenches. And at the end, we went down the longest slip and slide ever. Emarie was cruisin' the whole time like a boss and I did ok. We're good partners.

I took the longest shower of my life and washed all my clothes several times and long boarded over to Derek's house. I chatted with him and my arch-nemisis David Monson for a while before hanging out with Christian/Emarie/fam for a football extravaganza. We were simultaneously watching the BYU  and Utah games (because Christian's brother Britain is #18 for the Utes). Again, great fun.

As a result of the race and also the goodly number of straight-legged dead lifts I did during my Friday workout, my hamstrings were so tight I could barely walk to church today. Good thing I have connections and also a charitable friend in my program. Matt came over and graciously rubbed out my hamstrings, an experience I hope never to repeat despite its beneficial long-term effects.

Just in time to go back over to Derek's to Skype the family, catch up on the dating lives of Alexis Carre, Steven Kunz, and Styrofoam, unofficially athletically train V Taua's injured rotator cuff, and retrieve my longboard. And back in time for waffles.

Happiness at B106

The Three Sided Hug, aka
the Human Arm Chair

Well, this was the best week of ever, mainly because of my stellar roommate, Sister Swenson. She entertained me when I needed entertainment, ate tacos when necessary and provided her boyfriend's voice for videos. Also I ate unsatisfying tacos, but the presence of sister swenson offset the disappointment of the tacos, so it's all good. I love you all. Write you next week

Sister Hutchins (aka Emarie Swenson). 

In other news, I convinced my roommate Lyndsie (who served in Providence and Central Falls under President Packard while awaiting her VISA), to accompany me to a dessert night at the Capitole, a house of ten men, including the BYUSA President. Are you surprised that they have a legit drawing of all the roommates prominently displayed in their living room? Or to find out that they have the same art piece on t shirts? No, not really. We, in conjunction with my friend Matt, used it as a venue to recruit a decent volleyball team.

So on Labor day, we commandeered the Helaman courts for a good game of spiking and setting. (Although unfortunately, Matt's roommate, who is allegedly "as hot as a box of animal crackers" couldn't come.) Derek, Greg, and I spent the rest of the evening filming a movie and I even saw some comrades de la mission at their FHE playing Kissing Rugby. No surprise there. But I'm scared of that.

Tuesday, I rushed over to PRoney's house castle for a mini reunion. (I also stopped by the previous evening, since we were in the area, but alas, he was not there.) It was weird to see everyone again, especially with all their dates. We played petanque, comm d'hab quoi, and ended with another game of volleyball. It was fun, although somehow all the Elders managed to find the most uncoordinated dates.

I'm significantly decreasing my hours at the Cougareat. I am too busy and, at risk of sounding pretentious, am better than that. I only work there as a favor to my delightful boss, but that doesn't mean I have to put up with terrible work conditions and supervisors with superiority complexes. (Also the only person that I liked quit). I also started training for my other job, an ankle instability research initiative. I love biomechanics.

I also love clinicals. Judd is wonderful and sassy and knowledgeable. We also have 2 certified grad students that help us out and teach us cool things. Right now, I'm learning about lymphatic massages to decrease swelling. This week I correctly diagnosed a kid with a tight IT band and rescued another kid from heat exhaustion. I also made Nanaimo bars for Treat Tuesday, which were very well received, especially by my Canadian colleague. I also enjoy reading my textbooks because they're actually useful and applicable. I figured out that walking pigeon-toed, as well as having higher arches, significantly increased chance of ankle sprains. That certainly explains a lot. I have also been making an effort to read and outline chapters before we talk about them in class, so I look like a know-it -all. I'm not even mad.

And here was my Saturday night project, helping a roommate with her D&C introduction assignment:

Idea courtesy of Emarie Swenson

Insights from Regional Conference

-Bishop Davies: King Benjamin asked his people to gather with the doors of their tents facing towards the temple. Should not our stakes be similarly oriented? I enjoyed this play on words.

-Linda K: As a poor, recently married couple, her husband noticed she needed a pair of shoes and bought her some, at great sacrifice. They were not the shoes she wanted, so she returned them. She was given a good gift, as we are given the gift of the Sabbath. Appreciate it. 

-Hallstrom: When you consider what it actually takes to join the church, it's a miracle anyone does! But they are. The work is hastening. Number of members submitting family history names is increasing 25% per year. 

-Ballard: The sequoia is a very stalwart, sturdy, resilient tree, nearly impossible to kill. And yet, the one at BYU died because construction accidentally altered the feeding route to the roots. Even sturdy members are susceptible if their spiritual feeding routes are not carefully maintained. 

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?

Did I ever mention that I don't like meeting new people? Or making friends? It either goes one way or the other. Really just don't let me out in public. But more on that later. I went to church Sunday and since we have new ward boundaries and new tenants, the whole day consisted of spiritual thoughts and introductions. Which I see as a kind of competition. And I think I won. Ok, ok, I tied with the girl who bought $2000 of Chick-Fil-A last year. But when I went to a waffle party and then a dessert party later that night, everybody remembered me. And I still have no idea who they are. Awesome.

This semester is like P90X: I hate it, but I love it.

Swaggin. Litrally.

Every morning, I wake up at heinous times to exercise. Chris and Addy would be so proud. I'm also taking a weights class AND even saw Derek and Greg at the gym one day. They made goals to go twice a week and as far as I know, it's lasted half a week. Good on ya, guys.

I walked into my first class Monday morning to a chorus of joyous greetings from my classmates. I had met most of them through various wards and sports teams and classes. Needless to say, I felt pretty popular. I'm also loving the small class size and same people in all my classes. It makes participation (and joking around) much easier. I love all my AT classes and I get excited to read and chat with the profs and pick their brains.

They did try to vote me class president, though. The club president, Grant, came in to talk to us about logistics and notified us that each class of AT students needs a president, secretary, and treasurer. Immediately, several people shouted my name. Then one guy in the back raised his hand to volunteer, so I dumped it on him. And sent him on various errands that I assured him were part of his presidential responsibilities. Haha.

I also have a chem class, which is CAKE, thanks to both my AP Chem class and my summer internship. But no thanks to our recitation leader who tends to confuse everyone else more than necessary. I've been debating about just teaching the class myself, but I try to restrain myself from taking on responsibilities. And French. With my favorite person, Soeur Jones. That class is also tres amusant. It's a small class with friends and one French girl we tease nonstop. (Okay, okay, we tease EVERYONE nonstop).

After classes end, I have at least four hours of clinical, with Judd, the snarky, delightful, and really smart track coach. There are several other students working there, so during breaks, we 'athletically train' ourselves. Or I do. I just want to know and do everything there. I thought it was going to be the worst, but I love everything about it: the taping, the modalities, the gym equipment, the athletes, even the throw up and sweat and Powerade all over my free BYU polo and khakis. Saturday we had our only home meet of the season and it was awesome! I got to take care of a chick with heat exhaustion until she was reasonably better, throw her over my shoulder, and golf cart her to the hospital. Seriously, I love my unpaid job. (I wouldn't say no to payment, however.)

After clinicals, I have about 2 hours in which to do my HW. So far, so good. But I'm a little worried about throwing tests into the mix.

We're in a boat. Literally.

Then I go to the Cougareat for my Scoreboard closing shift until 8pm. Everyone there is new, so nobody knows how to do anything, not even the other managers. Which helps me understand why Ronnie wanted me to come back there so desperately. My first couple days, people were confused because they didn't know me and I was suddenly a manager. Now they get it and do whatever I say. They're not so good at individual thinking, however. We're working on it. Since I am about to start a research job, I am going to trim down my hours in the fast food arena. And Hallelujah.

So that's a day in the life of me. Welcome. In addition to those crazzzzyyyy days, here's some other things I managed to squeeze in:

-Free food acquired: a donut, a BYU brownie, a Jamba Juice, and ice cream x2. Don't you love back to school deals? And neighbors that obtain gallons upon gallons of Graham Canyon ice cream?

-Got my last look at Lauren Bellon before she goes to Italy! She came down to Provo to give back all the stuff she's borrowed over the last month to various people. And then we sat in a boat outside my apartment until the owner's roommate told us a certain anger-prone redneck with a gun collection might be more than a little upset to see us in his nautical vessel.

Mission buds at Beeny's Reception. Terrifying.

-I went to my first ever wedding reception. How have I avoided it for 22 years, you may ask? Good timing and no car. Who wants to watch a first dance, anyways? Totes awks. But I digress. Here's the story you've all been waiting for: Mama Layton and I are talking and people start going outside for the sparkler sendoff. Finally, we're the last ones and I say to myself, Self, maybe you should go outside and join the crowd, before things get awkward. Then I notice the bride and groom in front of us and the bride was yelling something about how she needed her scarf or something and so I think: Ok, she's going back for her scarf, we've got time to join the throng. So I start "sneaking" out the door without comprehending the fact that the bride and groom were still in front of me, with no sign of turning back. They open the front doors and there I am, right next to the bride, running like a creepy dinosaur with a terrified face, realizing what a mistake I have just made. Can't wait for those pics. And if you don't think it's funny, picture this:

Yikes.