I am now officially 22! Of course, it doesn't feel much different than 21, but it does feel older! I'm hoping that 22 is going to be a good year, i anticipate that it will- Brenen comes home, i'm graduating from college and hopefully getting a life! We'll see, only time will tell! More details coming on the festivities... cause right now i need to be writing essays for finals! 

4 MONTHS!

Today is the day!! This day means that Brenen has been on his mission for 20 months, and that he has 4, read it, 4 more months on his mission! I am so excited for him to come home! He has been an amazing missionary in Paraguay, and I am so proud of him! But boy am i excited for him to come home! 4 MORE MONTHS!

The Rexburg Temple!

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Rexburg Temple! Can you believe that it's been one whole year since the dedication of our temple? I was recounting the open house and dedication with a friend of mine, and he asked me if i had gone to the open house- i had to confess that i had gone 4 times! I remembered how excited i was to go into the House of the Lord, i couldn't stay away! I haven't been able to go back very often because it's so packe and busy! But i am making a new goal to go back more often! 

 

The thing that affected me most about the dedication last February, was the emphasis on President Woodruff's prophecy of this valley: 

"Be not disheaertened; be not discouraged, because God's blessing is upon this land. It will be only a little time before there will be prosperous and happy settlements of Latter-day Saints here. You feel that you have gone away from your friends, and you are almost out of the world, but it will be only a short time when you will have a meeting house, and a school house, and all of the facilities here that you had at home before you came here. God will bless and multiply the land! The Spirit of the Lord rests mightily upon me and I feel to bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. I promise you that the climate will be moderated for your good. I can see these great sagebrush prairies, as far as the eye can reach, turned into fertile fields. I bless the land that it shall yield forth in its strength. Flowers and trees and fine homes shall grace this great valley from one end to the other. Schools and colleges of higher learning shall be built to serve you that you may learn the mysteries of God’s great universe. I see churches and meetinghouses dotting the landscape, where the God of Israel may be worshiped in spirit and in truth. Yes, and as I look into the future of this great valley I can see temples—I can see beautiful temples"

I'm so glad that this revelation has come to past, and that i have been around to see it happen! I love to see the temple and I'm so grateful it's sitting up on the hill! 

25 Random Things

Thanks to my dear Becca, who tagged me, I am going to spend some much need sleep time coming up with random facts about me...excitement!

Here we go...

1) I can not keep a secret worth beans! well, an exciting secret! It's probably one of my biggest faults and i try to hide it oh-so-well, but let's face it, if you tell me something exciting, i'm going to want to tell people, unless i am explicitly told not to! but i'm sure not good at secret keeping!

2) I am teaching a math class on campus! part-time, once a week

3) My brother is coming home from his mission in 5 1/2 months! I am so freaking excited that i'm having dreams about him coming home! He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be my best friend!

4) I LOVE SHOES! AND CLOTHES! i have more than enough clothes to last me at least a month without doing my laundry, and probably shoes to go with it! 

5) I cried when my mom came home and told me that my youngest sibling was going to be a boy! I already had 3 brothers and wanted a sister, but i wouldn't trade my Dally Wally for anything!

6) My hair is my secret pride! Honestly, i have great hair! it's not straight and it's not curly but it can do both! it's amazing! and it's a lovely chocolate brown! I also hate it when people tell me i have black hair, cause i dont!

7) Today my best friend Shantal and i were making biscuits at the same time, AND the same kind of biscuits!! IT'S AMAZING! i know this because i called her as i was making biscuits and she answered while she was making biscuits!

8) My wise words of wisdom usually consist of these phrases- It's not a big deal, don't worry about it, things will work out!

9) I have a new found love of waffles! i make them at least once a week and love them with peanut butter, bananas and tons of syrup!

10) I don't know how i ended up at BYU-Idaho, and i don't know how i ended up as a psychology major, but i did and i am!

11) I rarely if ever sleep under my covers! I don't like being restricted and i don't like making my bed so i sleep on top of the covers with a blanket!

12) I put exclamation points at the end of almost every sentence!!!!!!

13) I am a devout stadium singer!

14) I think the brain is fascinating! and i like math! and i like school! i'm a nerd, i know!

15) I am having Rock Band withdrawals! i'm an awesome guitarist!

16) I am a horrible decision maker, at least when it comes to what i want! i know what i don't want, but i have to use that info to narrow down my options to what i do in fact want!

17) Today is my one month anniversary of knowing Laura McKeen!

18) I am competitive when it comes to two things- academics and bowling!

19) I am my mother's daughter! Apparently we are identical! even though we don't see it!

20) I hit the snooze button every morning for at least an hour!

21) I LOVE WINTER! i love the snow, and i like cold weather, i hate being hot, so Rexburg is an awesome place!

22) i like throwing parties! i like being the hostess of parties! i like people coming over for parties! i love parties!

23) I like polka dots! i used to hate them, my mom would try to get me to buy things with polka dots on them and i refused because i hated polka dots and i swore that i would never like polks dots...yeah, i like polka dots!

24) i may be lactose intolerant, sucky!

25) i don't like to capitalize my i's!

Thoughts...

“The Saints should always remember that God sees not as man sees; that he does not willingly afflict his children, and that if he requires them to endure present privation and trial, it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing, it is that he may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by-and-by.” ~ Elder George Q. Cannon

 

“Jesus labored. Jesus loved. Jesus served. Jesus testified. What finer example could we strive to emulate? Let us begin now, this very night, to do so. Cast off forever will be the old self and with it defeat, despair, doubt and disbelief. To a newness of life we come- a life of faith, hope, courage and joy. No task looms too large; no responsibility weighs too heavily; no duty is a burden. All things become possible.” ~ President Thomas S. Monson

A NEW SEMESTER!

This is semester #8 at BYU-Idaho and i can hardly believe that i have been here for so long! I don't tend to notice it until my roommates remind me that they are 18 and have been here 2 weeks and i'm 21 and have been here for years already! I'm excited for this semester though- it's going to be one of the busiest yet! i'm full time, taking 14 credits- i'm taking 2 psychology classes; Sensation and Perception & Psychological Assessment, and 3 minor classes- Parenting, Foundations of Early Childhood Education and Fundamentals of Scripture Study! On top of that, i'm working in the math lab tutoring Statistics, plus working as a TA doing one-on-one tutoring for Algebra, plus tutoring two middle school kids from Rexburg, whose Mom has accosted me multiple times to help them, and on top of all of that, I was asked to teach a Pre-Algebra class a couple of times this semester! So that leaves a little room for homework and sleep, the gym and a social life, but mostly the word is BUSY! I'm excited though for what this semester will bring! i've got one semester left after this so i'm just trying to enjoy the time that i have left here! LET THE SEMESTER BEGIN!

Merry Christmas!

The Olsen Family at Christmas (minus Brenen)

Brenen spending a Christmas in Paraguay!