"here's my heart, o take and seal it"

well, the semester is oooooover! finally. i've been looking forward to this since about september 6th. no big deal. but i'd like to apologize for my lack of blog love lately. finals have been kicking my butt. however, i'd like to address some very exciting things...

i am officially done with school for the next 9 months. and i couldn't be happier. also, i'm just really excited about the fact that i went into my natural disasters final with a 78% in the class, got a 67% on the final, and ended with an 80%. how does that happen, you ask? i honestly don't know. but i'm thrilled about it, to say the least.

on friday morning, we had the dedication of the i-center and the re-dedication of the manwaring center. president eyring, elder bednar, elder nelson, and a member of the seventy were all there. it was incredible. i've met elder bednar (and shook his hand) twice, and he's my absolute favorite. also i really enjoy president eyring. i don't think i've ever been in the same room as so many general authorities. i really enjoyed it. the spirit when they walked into the room, was incredible. i was singing in the choir, so i was literally only like 20 feet from them.

elder bednar spoke first. i think the first thing he said was "brothers and sisters... it's good to be home" and started to tear up. call me a baby, but i bawled. his talk was incredible. then elder nelson spoke. and then we sang "come thou fount" which is one of my very favorites. every second that i wasn't singing, i was crying. i felt super lame. but not really. because i'm a crybaby. and it was a pretty fantastic occasion. i'm so happy i got to be a part of that. elder bednar's wife kept turning around to look at us and once she smiled at me and then i cried harder. no big.

then president eyring got up to speak and then offer the dedicatory prayer. seriously the coolest thing ever. on their way out they waved at us. and then at everyone in the auditorium. and we all waved back. it was seriously so cool. i wish i could think of a better word to describe it, but it was just... awesome.

and lately, everything is making me want to stay at byui. i thought i had decided to transfer to kstate, but now i'm not so sure. i'm hoping that maybe ecuador will open my eyes and help me figure out what is best for me. but i know that if i do decide to leave, i'll really miss it.

i'll miss the spirit of ricks that you can truly feel all over campus. i'll miss teachers (bro. riggins) that know me by name, invite me to their house for waffles, hug me instead of shake my hand, and tell me they love me. i'll miss starting every class with a prayer to invite the spirit. i'll miss weekly devotionals. i'll miss not feeling pressured to drink or party or do things i know i shouldn't. i'll miss having classmates and friends that hold the priesthood. i'll miss it all. i really will. because to be perfectly honest, i honestly love byui. i may not be a big fan of the depressing crappy weather in rexburg for a good portion of the year. but i am a big fan of byui.

basically i'm just trying to say, that despite all the stress, finals and packing, i had a pretty fantastic last week of the semester. i'm happy to be gone for the next 9 months, but i love my school. and "come thou fount." and president eyring. and elder bednar. and the new i-center. and getting B's in classes that i never attended. and and and i just really love my life.

oh, p.s.

11 days til ecuador