Home away from home

After hours and hours and hours of a flying across the world in a Dramamine induced haze, I am back in my home away from home in the beautiful country of Jordan.

I thought I would take advantage of the wonderful access to the internet here at ACOR while I try to focus on reading archaeological theory because really, theory makes my jet lag seem so much worse. ;)

Yesterday we went to a site, Um Qais, that is right on the border of Jordan...and Israel...and Syria...and across the way from the Golan heights...and the Sea of Galilee.

The picture is pretty hazy but the hill leading off the picture to the right is the Golan Heights, the blue in the bottom center is the Sea of Galilee, the area in front and across is Israel, and Syria is behind and to the right.

So both an important and absolutely beautiful location.

The theater here is really going to help my thesis and I was glad to be able to go there.

I've gotten a lot done so far, visited a theater, done some research, started reading theory...and still have 6 more weeks of madness ahead.  

Something that I am grateful for, but maybe not super excited about.

If you are wondering how that is possible, imagine driving across 3 countries over 6 weeks...the excitement wanes a bit. 

;)

Good times and more to come!

♥ ♥ ♥

Reflection and Understanding

I like to understand why things are the way they are.

Why I am the way I am.

I feel that if I can't understand what I'm feeling, the least I can do is try to understand where that feeling is coming from.

For example, when I am angry (which is a secondary emotion) I try to figure out what initial emotion caused that anger.

This can be hard sometimes, because, at least right now, it seems that no one knows less about me than I seem to.

Weird eh?

But that is how it seems at the moment.

So I try to ask the person who knows me best, my Heavenly Father.

Usually I get an answer.

But not in this most recent scenario I find myself in.

Frustrating?

YES.

Until this morning.

This morning I got an answer...kind of.

Let me explain.

This morning I was reading the beginning of 3 Nephi 27.

Specifically verses 4-5.

They state:

4) And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

5) Have they not read the scriptures...

Previous to these verses the disciples of Christ had just asked what they should name the church because people had been arguing about the matter.  Those verses were the beginning of Christ's response.

Basically, why do we wonder over some things when the scriptures have the answers.

That had a big impact on me, then my alarm went off and I had to go make breakfast.

Interestingly enough I decided to read an old Ensign article while I ate.

The article was Finding Answers by Joseph Fielding Mcconkie.

Did it tell me how to find the answers I seek?

YES...in exactly the same way that the scriptures from this morning stated.

The summary paragraph at the beginning of the article says:

"It is not the design of heaven that we be rescued from all difficult situations.  Rather, it is the Lord's will that we learn to handle them."

So how did it tell me to handle my desperate situations?

The same way that Christ told his apostles.

1. Pray to my Heavenly Father.
2. Read the scriptures and the words of the modern prophets and apostles.
3. Read over those blessings I inspirations I have already been given (which is why it is important to write them down!!!) 

So this morning I had my prayers answered in an unexpected way.

While I didn't get the answer I thought I wanted, I got the one that will help me the most.

♥ ♥ ♥

This Morning.

This morning I spent some time getting to know the Study Notebook on lds.org.

Which, by the way, I highly recommend.

I'm from the "age of information",

I love my technology, hyperlinks, and databases.

This one is super cool.

I read the First Presidency Message for the Relief Society lesson later today.

Of course, I bookmarked, highlighted, and noted things...on the site...and it saved them.

Yes, all the things I love.

Then I started reading the Sunday School lesson but got distracted by the fact that I can highlight, put tags, and notes in the Gospel Library App on my ipod and have it show up in my Study Notebook on the site.

I loved it...and HIGHLY recommend it.

Happy Sunday!!!

♥ ♥ ♥

Such an enlightening morning...

...and only 6:30 am!!!

I have been able to stick to my goal of studying my scriptures every morning (from 6 - 6:30) and it has made such an impact on my days.

This morning I was reading from 3 Nephi 21. The verse that had the most impact on me this morning was 29, it says:

29 And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward.

Initially I thought the last word of the verse was reward...which made sense, having the spirit of God with you is definitely a reward, but it isn't...it is rearward. What?

So I followed the footnote to Isaiah 52: 11-12 which is nearly identical and ends with the word "rereward"...good grief, I don't know that one either.

Footnote time.

The footnote says: OR rearguard (rearguard makes more sense to me, someone who has your back)

There was another reference to Doctrine & Covenants 49:27 which gives a little explanation, also I just love these verses:

26 Behold, I say unto you, go forth as I have commanded you; repent of all your sins; ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you.

27 Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward; and I will be in your midst, and you shall not be confounded.

28 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come quickly. Even so. Amen.

So what did I learn from my scripture study today?

AT LEAST 3 things (the 3 most important)

1. I am blown away by how connected the scriptures are. I started with a question about 1 word in 1 verse and by following the footnotes; I not only found my answer (the meaning of rearward) but so much more than that. I started in the Book of Mormon, moved over to the Old Testament, and ended in the Doctrine & Covenants. Using all of these, I found a fullness of knowledge. Amazing.

2. My Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ has got my back (He is my rearward). Something I learned from D&C 49:26, is that all I have to do is ask, because he loves me.

3. Finally, and most importantly, things are done in God's time. The first thing I read, 3 Nephi 21, especially in verse 29, was that despite my excitement, God goes first, and then we come to share what we learn.

♥ ♥ ♥

Anyway, long post, but wonderful morning.

♥ ♥ ♥

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

Today is what I am referring to as my..."back up" day.

I'm researching for my thesis for the moment.

Which is done in libraries, online, and sometimes in my sleep.

These things do happen.

So it is reading, typing, organizing, pictures, scans,..a million other bits of things.

Anyway, big project, LOTS and LOTS of data and most of it is electronic at the moment.

So at least once a week I backup this data on external hard drives, other computers, online, and then also hard copies.

Sound paranoid?

You would think so unless you knew that I have had 2 computers crash right after I felt impressed to back them up.

So, with that lesson firmly in mind, I have backup days.

But there is some waiting time as files copy and move.

It is during this time that I allow myself to "feed" those distractions that have been threatening me all week.

Like learning html coding, or photoshop tricks, or today, learning to make gif's.

Because, you see, if I didn't do them on Saturday's, I might try to do them during the week.

And then nothing would EVER get done.

For example, when I wanted to learn to make an avatar in Photoshop, I waited until it was conference weekend to turn my little sisters into avatars.


It was hard, but it was a good reward for doing my homework.

Good grief, I'm a dork.

Today, as my files transferred, I learned to make a gif file.

This is my first try.

It is taken of a video of me...tackling the bug.

Oh don't worry,

I still have a few more hours of files, transferring, and syncing to get through.

There will be more where this came from.

♥ ♥ ♥

Changing my life one pita at a time.

This past Saturday I spent a little time cooking.

For Christmas Santa gave me a KitchenAid.

I love Santa...aka the parentals.

I'm thinking I will name it Syracuse...I think.  That is what I am feeling at the moment.

On Saturday I used Syracuse for the first time to make delicious pita bread.

The best part of the process?

I didn't kill the yeast!

It rose so perfectly!

It was also uber sticky but apparently that was how it was supposed to be.

The next step was to let the little things rise and then bake for a few minutes.

I was going to take a picture but I was so excited I forgot.

Yay for delicious times!

♥ ♥ ♥

Christmas Break and the New Year

It has been a pretty good break.

I spent the first half of the break grading.

The first half includes everything from the 12th of December through Christmas, the 26th AND the 27th.

So maybe it was a little more than half.

It is important to do grading over breaks...

because then you won't see your students...

and strangle them.

Ugh...grading.

Also I am the worst person in the world.

Not actually, but I felt like it for a few hours one day this break.

Rosie was FILTHY...and her nails were really long (which was painful for anyone who tried to hold her).

So I decided to cut her nails and then give her a bath.

(I did it in the opposite order once and the cuts on my face and arms were a lesson to always cut the nails BEFORE bath time)

Unfortunately Rosie decided to be super hyper and jumpy while I was clipping her nails.

And I accidentally hit "the quick" and she bled...a lot.

We got the bleeding to stop pretty fast but then she kept licking it and it would start gushing blood all over again.

So...

this was my solution:

She was not happy about it.

At all.

But when we finally took it off she did not lick her foot anymore.

_____________________________________________________________________

In other news:

My first semester of research is starting on Wednesday.

What does that mean?

No classes.

No tests.

No papers...well kind of.

Just research for my awesome thesis.

Which I am trying to plan and schedule right now.

I'm a bit of a dork that way.

My favorite present this Christmas was my new Moleskin planner.

Life is good.

Happy New Year!

♥ ♥ ♥

Round 2: It passes all my understanding.

I am a bit in shock.

Just a bit.

And that statement is just a bit of an understatement.

:)

I have been in a bit of a funk trying to do a little self-evaluation.

Am I making the right choices?

Am I on the right path?

Am I looking at where this path is taking me, not just what I am doing at the moment?

Do I feel good about this direction?

Am I happy?

Why or why not?

Is there a purpose to what I am doing?

I could go on forever but these are some of the things I have been thinking about.

Sometimes life takes you on such an amazing ride so fast you feel like you are losing control.

So I wanted to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing - or at least trying to do.

Less than a year ago a very generous person donated a significant amount of money to grad students traveling to a specific dig in Apamea, Syria.

That miraculously included me.

(Click here for recap)

Long story short Syria fell apart and it was no longer safe for me to go so I instituted plan B and traveled all over Jordan, Italy (here, and here too!) and Great Britain.

It was a dream come true.

Since that point things have become increasingly...overwhelming.

1. I started my last class before my official thesis research.  
2. I presented at a research symposium for the first time - my own research (ahhhh!!!)
3. My thesis adviser approached me about trying to get funding for more research for my thesis this summer and needed a list of theaters to go to.
4. I've finished my coursework and am starting my personal research.
5. I am also getting ready to propose my thesis so I can start writing it.

Once Upon A Time: The Evolution of the Desktop.

When I was a senior in high school, for Christmas, one of my friends gave me a new desktop computer.

I was pretty stoked.

So I took it with me to school and typed a lot of papers, played a lot of solitaire and minesweeper, and basically survived my 4 years of university with that marvelous beast.

Not that I didn't sometimes "step out" with other technology.

Out of necessity my sophomore year of college I bought my first laptop to work with my desktop.

I named him Douglas, Douglas the Dell.

Yes, I name my technology, "whatcha gonna do 'bout it?"

After a couple of years of teamwork with the desktop, Douglas perished while the desktop lived on.

Yes, that is duct tape.

 Apparently two trips to the middle east and being on a few other digs was really, really hard on Douglas.

I knew Douglas was on his way out so I replaced him the summer before my first year of grad school.

With Tahla.

Who is marvelous, light, and has already traveled around the world with me this year.

Tahla in Arabic means "little palm tree". 

(or so I am told)

Considering the size and weight difference I thought it was appropriate.

I bought Tahla right after I got back from Syria and started working on a dig in Utah for the rest of the summer.

I had lent my computer to my familia while I was gone.

I came back and the monitor no longer worked and the computer had a few nasty viruses.  

So I reformatted it but it was starting to dawn on me that my desktop would not last much longer.

So I began saving and preparing myself for its death.

(backing up things and so forth).

It took a year and a half for it to die.

It happened this Thanksgiving.

I was angry at first but then I was relieved because I got black Friday prices.

So I bought my new best friend...who I haven't named yet. ;)

We got double monitors at job 1 and now I am a woman obsessed.  

It took me a few days to realize I could hook up my old monitor and then have love at home too.

It seems silly but the double monitor has changed my life.

Writing and researching is FANTASTIC!!!

So there you go.

The evolution of my computer life.

♥ ♥ ♥

Wow, it has been a really long time.

The last time I blogged was September 18th.  That is ridiculous. :)

A LOT has happened since then.

I turned 24.

My brother Juanita got engaged.

My brother Juanita got married. 

I am working on my last class before my thesis research.

I've been so busy I have barely taken any pictures in weeks.

(that may not seem like a big deal but I usually take a few everyday)

Hmmm....

I am in the middle of writing a paper...

ok, not that interesting.

Basically Jon's wedding, school, and...I'm not sure what else (bad sign) have taken over my life for the past few months and left no survivors. 

To show this, here are the only pictures I have taken since September 18th.

Ridiculous.

Walked by this as I was heading toward the library on Halloween.

Only at BYU 

:)

Fall leaves falling as I am walking to work.

Deruda took Rosie running 

(meaning he let her off her leash and let her go wild)

in an old parking lot.

She ripped up her paws and we had to bandage them.

I'm still mad at Deruda.

They took down a sculpture on campus that I used to play in as a child.

It was not earthquake proof so they took it down for the winter and are going to rebuild it in the spring.

Members of the family of deer that live on the hill between upper and lower campus decided to come down.

For fun I guess.

I was walking from job 1 to job 2.

Yes, I have 2.

Yes, I love them both.

The top of my car a week or so ago.

I wore flip flops and a skirt the day before.

Gotta love Utah weather.

This is from the inside of my car looking through my windshield on that same day.

It took a bit to scrape through that mess.

It was fun though.

:)

Juanita over Thanksgiving break.

Cousin Taylor taught him how to do a back bend.

He was showing off for his cute wife.

True story.

:)

In summary,

life is good,

I've been unbelievably busy,

and the semester is about to end.

YES!

♥ ♥ ♥