Can I still jump without my appendix?

I guess one of the biggest events so far this school year was my birthday. It wasn't just a birthday. I had my first interview for my mission papers, which I think was monumental to say the least. My birthday was fun and everything. Lots of friends came by for cake and to catch up. But....

That night, I got appendicitis. Best birthday present ever. The surgery wasn't life changing. I'm short an appendix now, but that doesn't really affect me. It was the events surrounding the surgery and my recovery that forever changed me.

I had felt some pain the afternoon before, but that night, I woke up in the most intense pain I have ever experienced. (Funny moment though: the pain was so harsh that while I was asleep, it was part of my dream. And in my dream, I was in so much pain because the church authorities couldn't figure out where to send me on my mission!) Anyway, I finally woke up, found the strength to get out of my bed, and crawled out to the couch. Fortunately, one of my roommates heard me moaning and she got two of my other roommates, one of whom called my home teachers. It was 2:30 in the morning, but they came over dressed in white shirts and ties, and they gave me a simple yet powerful blessing of healing. 2:30 in the morning and they were willing to get out of bed and come help ME. I'm so grateful for the priesthood.

Afterwards, my roommate Tessa helped me out to her car, and she and another of my roommates drove me to the ER. They sat with me all night. The next morning, as I was waking up from surgery, I saw someone running down the hallway. I couldn't tell who it was at first because I didn't have my glasses on, but then the person doubled back and came into my room. It was my Relief Society president. We barely knew each other, but she had come to stay with me. She read to me, talked with me, helped me order some food, and emailed my mom about how I was doing. She didn't leave until another one of my friends came to visit. I will never forget the love that she demonstrated for me. In that moment, I realized a fraction of the love the Savior has for each one of His children.

That day, so many people visited me. Some of my old friends from last year came. My old roommates visited, and one of them came back that night to bring me Jamba Juice. My Spanish professor dropped by to give me a "get well" card! So many people who took time out of their day to serve ME, someone they had absolutely no obligation to.

Later that night, Megan, my Relief Society president, came back with a few others. She had brought the Elders Quorum President, and he and one of his friends gave me another blessing. Then, they asked me if I was hungry. I had ordered food from the hospital kitchen, but it was gross, so I didn't eat it. And I was very hungry, but I said no. Because I just hate admitting when I need things or that I'm a human being who has weaknesses, like an existing metabolism, but they wouldn't listen to me and brought me Wendy's. Which was absolutely amazing.

Later that night, my FHE family visited and brought me a card they had all signed. In the whole time I was at the hospital, not a single member of my family visited me. I'm not bitter about it or anything. In fact, I don't even mind. People have lives, and my brother didn't have ride. The point is, my FHE family came. It wasn't Monday night and most of them barely knew me, yet they took time out of their school day to make a card for me. (I later heard that they had called it the "giant card of doom". So awesome.) During the few minutes they were with me, I felt truly loved. I know that they didn't know me very well. Besides those with my roommates, none of my friendships with any of my FHE brothers or sisters blossomed into anything especially noteworthy, but during that visit, they felt like my family. That is the purpose of having FHE families for young single adults living away from their families: to have a group in which they belong for the purpose of supporting one another. In a way, FHE families are meant to fill the role of the family when the family cannot because of circumstances. During my time at the hospital, my FHE family did just that, and I'm so grateful for them.

I'm so grateful for the kindness and compassion so many showed me when I needed it. There is so much more others did for me during that time that I didn't mention, but I have not forgotten a single act of kindness that was shown to me. (I'm not just saying that. I made a list in my journal.) I was completely undeserving, yet because these people chose to demonstrate Christ-like love, whether they thought of it that way or not, I was cared for.

Mosiah 2:17 "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

P.S. When I first came to BYU as a stupid little freshman, I had this fantasy that one day I would be really sick. My roommates would call my conveniently gorgeous home teachers if they could come and give me a blessing. It would be a romantic moment in which they would be my saviors. Yeah. I got my fantasy. And it was a load of crap. My home teachers were fine, but I was so sick it was kind of scary, not to mention I looked awful. Fantasies are not at all what they're cracked up to be. And there is my shallow finale.

Anna and the Apples

So rather than huge posts every couple months, I've decided I'm going to write shorter posts which means that it won't take so much energy to actually be unnecessarily productive as this blog fortunately requires me to be. This means moments and stories that I don't want to forget, starting with this one.

I have twin 9 yr old sisters: Anna and Miriam. I shared a hotel room with them for two weeks during the break when we first arrived in Maryland. Being in a hotel meant we got breakfast every morning. It ended at 9am. Which is ridiculous. Anyone who has ever lived with me knows that I stay up late and get up late. On the weekends, I get up at 1pm on a regular basis. And it's awesome. Unfortunately, that also meant I missed breakfast pretty much every day in the hotel.

Now, I love apples. I go through two Granny Smiths a day on a regular basis. I just love apples! The hotel served apples with breakfast. (That's important.)

The first two days in the hotel, I actually got out of bed at 8:57 to get to the breakfast room. But after that, I just stayed in bed. I figured a little hunger in the mornings was worth a few extra hours of sleep. But every morning when I finally woke up and breakfast was long over, I would find a little pile of apples on the pillow next to me. I didn't think much about it. I would eat them throughout the rest of the morning, and I never asked where they came from. No one claimed them, so I took them.

One night, Miriam, Anna, and Rebekah (my 8 yr old sister who also shared the room...and my bed) were cleaning up the room, and we started talking. Somehow we got on the subject of food. (Universally accepted conversation topic.)  I mentioned how much I love apples. Anna said, "I know you love apples. That's why I've been getting them for you since you miss breakfast every morning." I was so touched! How could someone so young have the ability to serve so diligently yet so anonymously and think nothing of it? 9 years old and Anna was already observing those around her to the degree that she noticed that I liked apples. I hadn't even told her! She had just noticed me eating them with breakfast the first few mornings. What an example!!!

Christ taught us to become as little children. I believe this is merely one of the many examples of why they are so dear to Him. The whole experience really made me think about how I serve others. Am I willing to serve others just because I know it will make their lives a little easier? More importantly, am I perceptive enough to others and the Spirit to know when there is an opportunity for me to serve others? To be the Lord's hands? I hope and pray that I can see those opportunities and act on them.

New Year's Resolutions

For the first time ever, I'm actually going to write down my New Year's resolutions completely by myself. So here they are! Don't get too excited.

1. Be more consistent with my scripture study. This past semester, I did not make reading my scriptures a priority as I had in the past. Before, I had only missed around four days in three years! And it's time to get back in the habit. "Behold, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures." D&C 26:1

2. Workout at least three times a week. During fall, I got way too busy between working and a 17 credit course load to take time physically to exercise. I know it affects my mood and my confidence exponentially. I want to be happy, so I'm going to workout. I'm only taking 14 credits this semester, and I actually do love going to the gym.

3. Be more positive. Now that's just vague, but sometimes I can be a very negative person. When things get tough, I don't quit, but I do complain way too much. I don't want to be a complainer. I want to be happy! And that means making a conscious effort not to see the negative.

4. Be academically proactive. I love learning, but I like school. I hate the pressure and the deadlines and the expectations and the measuring and comparing. Perhaps most of all, I hate the forced writing. It feels like pulling teeth. I didn't do very well this semester. It wasn't because I didn't work hard or didn't do the work, but I know I could have worked harder; I could have been proactive. I could have taken my papers to TAs or reviewed my exams or anything that went beyond what was required of me. 

5. Keep more regular hours. I have never kept good hours. I go to bed late, and I have to get up early for my work, so I always end up sleeping the bare minimum. That's not healthy and not good preparation for my mission. Also, I always end up running late in the mornings because I get up late, and then I have to race to school. Then, I feel like I'm late and a bad employee and don't want to go to work in the first place because it just makes me feel like a bad person. I love my job, but I hate that feeling. To be specific, I want to be in bed by midnight and up at 7am. That gives me time in the mornings to read my scriptures and grab breakfast, which I have rarely had time for before.

And I see now my explanations got progressively long winded. Anyways, I actually plan on keeping these! I think they're doable, and, as my mother would tell me, I'm plenty capable.