It’s been really busy lately with preparing for the end of this semester so sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Actually, currently I am functioning (I use that term loosely) off of 1 hour of sleep. We’ll have to see how this goes. Sorry if this is less than lucid, you might understand why. I don’t have a particular topic that I wanted to post on so I’m sure this will jump from topic to topic without any real rhyme or reason. I’m actually in class for my very last final of this semester so I’m very excited to get done and be out of here.

Finals week has been interesting. I did one of the most retarded things I have ever done in my life and forgot to take a final. I thought that it was in the testing center during finals week, when really it was in the testing center during the last two days of finals. I felt REALLY stupid when I realized that I had done that. So, it looks like I will probably be taking Linguistics 450 (Historical and Comparative Linguistics) over. At least I liked that class, so I guess it could be worse, right? Other than that my finals went pretty well. I didn’t have to take my Social Dance final because I did really well on my medals exam so I was done with that class before finals week. My advanced web programming class (PHP & MySQL) just had a final project that was technically due last Monday, but really due today at 7am (that’s where I’m at right now). I absolutely adored that class and I’m really excited that I get to go home this summer and work with the things I have learned. I took the second half of New Testament course from Brother Stephen E. Robinson (yeah again) which was absolutely incredible. I feel SO lucky to have been able to take classes from him. We had a test in the testing center during finals week which really wasn’t too bad. I got a 84 on that test so I should be in good shape. My ASL class was also finished before the end of the semester, we presented a story to our teacher during the last couple days of classes. I’m not completely sure how that went but we’ll see. It was a really great semester and I’m actually kind of sad to see it be over.

The coolest part of these last couple weeks has been hanging out with my roommate Julie. She is without question the coolest person ever! I’m really sad that I might not be back in the fall and living with her again. We have had so much fun just staying up late, and hanging out talking, walking to the grocery store twice a day, playing free cell, watching every movie ever made, watching Gilmore Girls etc. I’m soo sad that we didn’t become really good friends earlier in the semester. But better late than never, right?

Right now I’m just getting ready to leave for Young Ambassador tour. We leave for Texas at 6am Saturday morning *shudder*. I am totally stoked for this tour. We are going to go to a lot of the LDS Church History sites including staying for a week in Nauvoo. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about having a state-side tour this year. Our international tours have been SO amazing that I just didn’t think that this would be able to compare. However, the closer we get the more excited I am. It’s going to be really great to go somewhere that the culture, language and food are familiar *at least relatively…* International tours are awesome, but they are hard. It’s tough not being able to communicate effectively and have to exchange currency and not know what the food is that you’re eating. This tour won’t have the same cultural excitement but it’ll be much easier to get through. I’m also just excited for the people that I get to go with. I really love everyone in Young Ambassadors. I’ve posted before about how much I love the rest of the tech crew, but what I haven’t mentioned is how amazing the cast has been. The whole group just seems to mesh and work together so much better than previous groups have. The cast is super down to earth and friendly and just works together well. Our band is still fun, but they don’t have the rebellious streak that the band has had in the past, which is nice. It was kind of frustrating to have the band be anti-YA. The whole group this year has just been a refreshing change from previous years. I have just loved this year soo much.

I am really sad right now to leave my ward. On Sunday I went to my last sacrament meeting as part of the BYU 138th ward. I literally cried through the entire meeting. At the end I looked like someone had punched me in the face (I have never been an elegant crier). I just couldn’t believe that this year was over already. It has flown by so quickly. I don’t know that I have ever felt so welcome and at home. Definitely not since I came to BYU. Actually, I didn’t cry through the meeting as much because I was sad as because I felt so blessed. I don’t know what I possibly could have done to deserve to be where I am at. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. I love all of the people I have gotten to know and love as family members. My home teachers have been incredible, the Relief Society Presidency from last semester, the girls I’ve served with in the RS Presidency this semester, my visiting teachers, my roommates, my council members from last semester, the bishopric and everyone who has become my friend (which is basically the whole ward). I can’t even begin to describe how blessed I feel.

Ok, well, I am thoroughly wasted now and I don’t think that I can post much more lucidly (not that any of what I have posted so far is lucid… on the contrary, I am sure it is very muddled… but now I have updated and I feel a little bit better about life.) How much longer can this class go on?!? I’ve been here since 7am, and it is now after 9am and we’re still going through presentations. The presentations are fine and all… but I’m really ready to go back to bed (or at least back to sleep on the couch). Actually, the longer I am awake the harder I know it’s going to be to go back to sleep. That’s what I get for starting my day with a banana and a coke (breakfast of champions!) Hopefully this ends soon…