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.