Passion Makes All The Difference

Saturday Night was the best night I've ever experienced- The Passion and Excitment of the BYU Cougars (ranked 20) in the Nation beating Oklahoma University (ranked 3) was unbelievable.

Our Victory Dance!

Thanks to some miracles and a great defensive team, I managed to only scream most of the time- minorly respraining my ankle in all my excitment... The post game frenzy was truly BYU Provo style, the streets were completely full of people- cars were driving up and down the streets honking and blaring music-

During the traffic signal walk signs we would rush into the intersection and jump and scream- well, until the cops got there. haha. Well, word got out that the place to be was at cougar stadium.. and off we went.

I was with Kaits and a couple of others and man, the whole student body was out on the town. Actually, not only the student body, but the whole town seemed to be out- forty-year-old men in minivans, grandparents in convertibles waving shirts, and students hanging out of windows, jumping in and out of truck beds, and crowd surfing. It was Crazy. Well, as if tonight could not get any better/worse, when we were returning home, Kaits biffed it in the middle of the intersection- almost getting trampled by the running mass of cheering BYU fans. Though she hopped up immediately, she was limping and in obvious pain- I got her off the streets and began asking her questions- testing for knee problems (where she said she was hurt), a concussion, and counting abrasions. Kaits is a stubborn chica- I practically had to force her to sit down, and just in time- she passed out and soon we had a whole crowd of onlookers trying to help- and getting in the way... Grateful for the training I've recieved thus far in my major, I was able to do a primary assesment while Kaits driffted in and out. We were able to find someone (Brett) to give us a ride home.

Unfortunately, we have no way of contacting him now- Thanks Brett- wherever you are. (And Kaits- i know you wanted a ride home, but I think this is taking it a little far, dont you?)

I am happy to say i was prepared and can now justify spending the money I did to make a good first aid kit. Kaits was indulgent and let me do what im trained to do- her toe was really messed up- bits of toenail, skin, and gravel had to be removed, cut off, and cleaned out.

Minor scrapes were also on her elbow and hand. Once I got her all cleaned up I was able to assess for secondary injuries- a contusion forming on the knee, and a concussion. We spent the next hour icing her knee and talking- I finally felt like it was okay for her to be on her own. Today she's doing fine- a couple more contusions, but hangin in there like a champ.
We even watched Forever Strong. Oh! and the US beat El Salvador!!! World Cup here we come! What a great night- I know this is what I want to do- my training kicked in and I got to help a friend- life doesn't get better than this. I wish I could take credit for helping kaits, but it was the Lord looking out for both of us- and the best part?? Only at BYU do we win the biggest upset of the season, but the next day we're not hung over- we are worshiping the Lord, going to church and bearing testimonies of Chirst's love for us. We, as BYU students, truly are learning how to go forth and serve through the friendships we make, the majors we chose to follow, and by being "forever strong" on and off the field. Im glad for this opportunity- I have learned to appreciate that having a passion for what you do makes all the difference- Like me and knowing how to treat Kaits to BYU stunning OU and the whole nation- We truly are the best!

Roomies, not Loonies

So, this past semester here at BYU has been amazing. I moved into a two story apartment and met all new roommates. Life has been on the go and great ever since. Alex is on the left and is my roomie roommate. She is from all over but her mom lives in Wisconsin and her dad is in Park City, Utah. We are trying to train her to take her keys with her when she leaves the apartment, but other than forgetting her keys, she knows a lot of guys and is really thoughtful. She made me breakfast in bed for my 19th b-day!! Kaitlin is standing next to Alex and me. She took state in tennis, is studying anatomy (oh the good ol' days), and is one of the best friends a girl can have. Kaits is studying dental hygiene and is from Richfield, Utah. She also has lots of big brothers- of which i am extremely jealous. Chelsea is one the right. She does BYU volleyball, is way chill, has the best laugh, and introduced me to red mango- the best frozen yogurt place en todo el mundo. She is from Laguna Beach, CA and has a vespa scooter!!! I sometimes wonder how i got so lucky to have such roommates. Its the perfect combo.

Donating Plasma..

This past Saturday i had the opportunity to donate plasma. The Plasma Center is down on Center Street, so it's a nice twenty minute walk from my apartment since the weather has been amazing! In order to give plasma you have to have a physical, a drug test, and prove you are who you say you are. My physical was interesting. The guy interviewing me was asking the usual blood test questions.. "Do you have any tattoos? -no. Are you sick? -no. Do you have any piercings? -no. Earrings? -nope. Wow. -yep. No really, that’s unusual. -yeah, i guess so." Haha. He had the funniest look on his face as we had that conversation. He then tested my patellar tendon reflex. This is when he officially decided i was some abnormal alien. Both knees didn't budge at all. He tried again and again and then had me hold my hands and pull them apart as he did it. That got a good reflex from my right knee, but my left knee barely budged. It must be from all the falling. That poor tendon is completely stretched out.
Donating plasma was another story altogether. As the Physicians Substitute was inserting the needle, my blood squirted all the way up my arm. Gross. He finished taping the needle down and by the time he got to cleaning my arm, the blood just smeared and dried, so it looked like my whole arm was this disgusting reddish brown color. The process of plasmapheresis, during which a machine spins the collected product to separate the liquid from the blood cells, took about an hour. It felt weird to have my blood taken, messed with, and then put back into me. I was disappointed it didn't feel cooler when returned to my arm. I will always wonder what having cool liquid feels like running through your veins. Nevertheless, I couldn’t get any homework done because I couldn’t concentrate. Why?? I lost complete sensation in my right thumb, index, and middle finger and half of the sensation on my right ring finger. My whole arm was also aching pretty bad.
After all was said and done, though, I emerged $30 richer. That night I watched Step Up and ate banana bread and lots of chocolaty goodies. A good day all in all- after having a ward breakfast, going to the temple, donating plasma, and watching a movie. This blog is my first official story out of the millions I’m living through each day. And now I sign off. Goodbye from a regular college student trying to live a regular life and writing a not so regular blog.