New Blog

For all of you who still check this...I have a new blog. Put your email in the comments and i'll send you an invite. It's going to be private but I want you to be able to see it if you'd like :D

Summer Lovin'

It has been a really really long time since I've updated everyone. I'm at BYU-I for the Spring Semester which goes from April-July. It's really quite amazing how I'm here in the first place, actually. It all started when I got a scholarship and it was split into the winter and spring tracks. (Spring is my off track which means I usually am not here in Rexburg.) That's when I started thinking about staying and taking classes. Then I found out that one of my only electives that I really wanted to take (Thermodynamics II) was only offered during spring semester. I started really considering staying, and then I started dating Enzo. He is an amazing man that has brought me so much happiness. For him, and all those other reasons I decided to see if I'd be able to stay and take classes. (Mostly I had to see if I could get money for tuition.) And then miracles happened. I got enough money, I registered for classes, and I am really glad I did. Since I was staying here for Spring, the bishop asked me to be Relief Society President. I am very humbled at this calling, and know that Heavenly Father needed me to serve. I hope to learn all that God wants me to as I serve him. So, that's a quick update. I am very happy! I know that people have been placed in my life that I need to learn from and also that I can help.

Rexburg Bliss

So, I have to apologize first for being very MIA. School has gotten so crazy. I am really enjoying my statistics class and my circuits class. On Tuesday in circuits we will be soldering. It is super hard to solder, I practiced yesterday for a bit and am pretty terrible.

It's been really cool to come to Rexburg and see all the things that are different. Now the BYU-I center is complete (it is a lot like the conference center in Salt Lake only smaller)

BYU-I center

heres the conference center

So it's obviously a lot smaller but it is amazing! The choir sounds so beautiful in there. Next week for devotional we get to hear from L. Tom Perry, which is super exciting, and with the BYU-I center, all of the students will be able to be in the same room.

Work has been super fun. Tutoring students rarely feels like a job to me. I absolutely LOVE it. Especially international students, they say the funniest things!

The weather here in Rexburg has been really strange for this time of year. There is still no snow on the ground and this has been the 2nd consecutive day of rain. RAIN, really? In January? it's crazy. I hope it doesn't just all dump on us at once.

I am applying for internships in Calgary for the summer in engineering. There are many companies looking for interns, and I miss Canada so much!

Consensus: Rexburg is definitely the place for me to be right now.

Back at school

I forgot how much I love learning! I love having something hard to do, and having the satisfaction of doing it well. I love being busy, and being organized. I also love living in a place with so many LDS people. I forgot what that was like.

So here's my synopsis of my classes so far:

1) Fluid Mechanics --> this class is calculus, statics, dynamics, and chemistry all rolled into one. It is by far my hardest class, and most time consuming, but I'm liking it so far! My teacher Brother (DR.) Daines worked on rocket engines for Nasa Stenis. So he is literally a rocket scientist! You can tell he loves fluids and everything about them. That makes me really excited.

2) Engineering Statistics --> This is identical, so far, to the stats class I took in high school. the only difference is all of the examples are engineering based, so it's a bit more boring than the other stats class. I like it though, it's nice to have an engineering class I don't feel lost in all the time.

3) Fundamentals of Circuits --> This class is taught by an electrical engineer, at 745 in the morning. I'm hoping it's not all that hard, but it seems really interesting and I'm excited to learn more about electricity and that part of engineering.

4) science foundations-->this is hopefully taking care of my general biology credit. If not I'll be taking it next semester. This is such an easy class, and I have mostly freshman in my class so I feel super old and super smart. But it's interesting. We're learning mostly about the brain and how it perceives light and sound.

5) 2nd half of Old Testament--> I'm excited to be able to feel the spirit in one of my classes (I usually don't in the engineering ones, haha) and to hear from a Jewish prospective. My professor has a degree in Hebrew, so he can understand the old testament better than lots of people. it is pretty exciting.

So all in all it seems like a good semester. My roommates are awesome, and more social than me! So I feel like a hermit holed up in my room constantly reading engineering books, but I am confident that this semester will be a good one! I am excited to see what happens!

2011 Grateful List

As the new year approaches(it's 6 hours away!) I have been thinking about all the things that I've been grateful for this year.

Things I'm grateful for :


-Cars with heaters and winter tires

-toe warmers, toques, gloves
-teaching and meeting new people
-learning to have fun
-seeing miracles
-seeing changes in others

-making lifelong friends
-trying new food
-bug spray
-doctors
-Canadian summers

-fall leaves
-The Book of Mormon
-music
-loving family
-reconnecting with loved ones
-meeting new nieces

-dessert (even though I had to much in 2011)
-running
-airplanes
-money for school
-pianos
-having a job
-the temple

-my life

Even through all of the stress that happened in 2011, I am so much a better person because I lived through it all.

I hope 2012 is just as good or better than 2011!

What are you grateful for this year?

C.S. Lewis

I have loved C.S. Lewis ever since I read The Chronicles of Narnia. I have since read The Screwtape Letters, and it never ceases to amaze me at how much knowledge and insight he had towards Christianity. Last Night I watched the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the third in the Narnia series). I remembered my favorite part in the book.

Eustace (Edmond and Lucy's cousin) has turned himself into a dragon by his greed. Him being a dragon helps him to see how arrogant and unfriendly he has been to everyone. Eventually he meets Aslan, and is told he must "undress"(Rid himself of the dragon skin) so he can become clean. At first, he can scratch the skin off, like a snake shedding, but he keeps looking like a dragon underneath. Eventually, Eustace realizes that he cannot rid himself of the dragon without the help of Aslan. He allows Aslan to use his lion claws and he cuts very deep--to the very heart of the dragon, and off comes the thickest, scaliest, and roughest skin yet. Underneath, Eustace is a boy again. It makes me think about how our sins, mistakes, and weaknesses sometimes turn us into "dragons". These times help us to become better, learn to love and empathize with others, and to realize that there are consequences to our actions. Hopefully we learn from these times. However, try as we might, we ourselves cannot get rid of the "dragon skin". We need God's help to do so. As He helps us to change, we experience pain. God may slice us to the very heart, but we will become who He wants us to be. We must let Him change us. We must take the pain to overcome our dragonish tendancies.

On another note, but still on the topic of C.S. Lewis, I found this quote that I think is amazing: "A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." I met many Atheists on my mission who tried, in effect, to diminish God. It seemed like a foolish and insurmountable task to me at the time. I know Heavenly Father is real. I'm grateful for inspired people like C.S. Lewis who can help me more fully understand Him.

Real Life Love

My whole life I've heard songs on the radio about love, falling in love, breakups, love at first sight, etc... I thought that these were all just fiction, and real love was different. Now from some experiences I've had in the last couple of weeks I'm starting to think that a lot of the songs were written from real life experiences. Many have resonated a lot with me lately. My favorite romance movie is Pride and Prejudice--the Kiera Knightly one. Last night I rented it from the library and laughed and cried all by myself. Life has it's ups and downs. Sometimes people love you when you don't love them. Sometimes you love someone who doesn't love you. The quest for me is to find someone who will not only love me, but who I can give my whole heart to.

This brings me to one of my fave youtube vids. Hopefully you've seen P&P or it won't make much sense...



How did you fall in love?

Cards

I decided that I wanted to start selling the cards that I make, so I started a blog about it! Here's the link here. There are photos on there of the cards I've made. Please let me know what you think :D

Discovering Music

After coming home from a mission you realize you've been in a culture bubble. I missed a year and a half worth of movies, music, and entertainment. I'm not sad about that fact, there are some things I'm glad to have missed (such as the really annoying song Friday). One artist that gained momentum and became very famous while I was "away" from the music scene I've rediscovered and absolutely love!

Adele is a British artist similar to my faves: Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michelson, and Christina Perri. She has a jazzy flair, top notch vocals, and a slight British accent while she sings. She also sings a lot about break ups which I've been thinking quite a bit about lately. My favorite songs that I've discovered are Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, and the one I've listened to over and over for the past half hour, Set Fire to the Rain. Here's her singing it live


I also love how she sounds just as good live as on CDs, I actually think she's better live!

What are some of your favorite artists? I'm always looking for good music! Please let me know in the comments!

crazy life

I haven't blogged for a while because I haven't wanted to be negative for everyone to read. Since I've been home there has been so much opposition to everything I've wanted to do, and I've had some terrible luck. I'm supposed to go back to school in January, but I still haven't registered for classes and I still don't know how I"m going to pay for it. Thing after thing has slowed down both processes as well. One thing that I had good luck on though, is that I got a job a week after coming home, so I at least have enough money for housing in January. Here's what I'll be going to in 4 weeks:

I'm actually really excited about Rexburg snow, it will remind me of Calgary! and I'll be 10 hours closer to Calgary as well! I didn't realize how much I would miss the cold. SHHH! don't tell anyone! I'm itching to put on my warm boots, coat, and Canada mittens!

I've also lost my mission weight! I think I'm thinner than I was before my mission too! Crazy, but oh so good :D
Also, my amazing companion Erin Riley came to visit me! I absolutely love her! We had a fun time reminiscing about the mission, playing board games, and she saw my homecoming talk. I can't wait to spend time with her sometime in the near future :D

I'll update once I know more about everything!

Home again

I arrived home from my mission last Thursday at 11:08 am. We flew first to Phoenix, Az. My first thought while there was, "Wow this looks alot like Nevada!" We flew over the Grand Canyon. It is huge! And very beautiful. The desert has a beauty all it's own. Especially if you haven't seen it for 18 months!

Then pulling into LAS was so weird. I felt like a tourist. For a bit, I felt like I had left my home in Calgary. I certainly left a bit of my heart there with all the people I love so much (You all know who you are!).

I got to meet my new niece Sara on the way home. She is so adorable. Driving on the I-15, then the 95 was also weird. I guess I forgot what Las Vegas looked like. First we stopped at In-N-Out. A hamburger has never tasted so good in the history of the existence of Hamburgers. Then home. I got to talk to my sister who is hilarious! I've missed her :D Then my brother Zac. I've missed him too, and can't wait to see him at Thanksgiving. Then Jake and his family came. I got to meet Izzy another new niece. What a cute little girl.

Getting released was hard for different reasons than I thought. It wasn't hard to take off my tag, but it was hard to not be out teaching people anymore. Somehow I still feel like a missionary who's only on vacation. Like now I'm pretending that I'm going to go to school in January, but really I'll be back in Calgary.

Then we had cake because it was my birthday. I loved spending my birthday with my family. My family is what is the most important thing to me. I feel like on my mission I just added more and more people to my family.

In short: I'm definitely not normal, and I don't know if I ever will be, but I am enjoying being a normal person again. I just hope that the friendships I've gained on my mission will always be there.

:)

Soo, it has been awhile since I posted on here. Sunday was my farewell. If you want to read what happened go here: nyssassojournincanadaeh.blogspot.com

I have less than 2 weeks til I head out. It's actually closer to one. It still feels like it will never get here.

I love the temple. Absolutely LOVE it. Yesterday I went with a girl in my ward and did sealings for the first time. It was soo very beautiful. I love the feelings I get in the temple.

So, I really don't have much to say except I'm excited to finally go and serve the Lord in Canada. I love telling people about the church and I know that He will help me be a good missionary.

March Grateful List

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and how blessed I am. Here's what I'm grateful for this month.

the temple
missionary work
windy days (for flying kites)
hot chocolate
my mom
rascal flatts songs
letters from missionaries
family
general conference
music
warm bread with honey
mom's cooking
4 weeks til my mission
the atonement
slippers
spending time with my fam
my job
the plan of salvation
living in America
lotion
emails on Tuesday nights
best friends far away
dessert
love of parents, and their support
my testimony


I could probably go on and on. I love where my life is right now. I am grateful for everything that I have :)

Go Hockey

I have never been a hockey fan, or ever really watched a game either, until the Olympics this year. I think it might stem from the fact that I am going to Canada in a couple of months, and Canadians love hockey. Also I turned on the Olympics and the US was playing Switzerland, so I continued to watch. And I am now hooked. So, I watched Canada barely beat Switzerland in a shootout after the US beat them 8-1 and I thought that we might have a chance of winning this thing. Then we beat Canada 3-2, and I thought again, we might just pull it off. So fast forward to today: Gold medal match between the US and Canada in Canada with a total Canadian crowd. Dad and I had just gotten home from church in time to see that Canada was leading 2-1 and there were 5 minutes left of standard play. I had almost given up when with 24.2 seconds left, we scored and tied and went to overtime. Man that was so cool. But then Canada won the Gold after 10 minutes in sudden death overtime. I have to say, even though Canada won, the US team gave their best and had such a good game, but so did Canada. I will watch hockey now every Olympics. hahah That is so weird for me because I really usually hate watching sports.

Pre-Mission Blues

I have been feeling a little off lately. Mostly just this week. I think Satan really wants me to feel unworthy of going on a mission. I only have 7 weeks until I enter the MTC and I am starting to feel nervous. I feel like maybe I won't be good enough or maybe people won't listen to me, and then I realized that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know for certain that it was right. God will help me with my weaknesses if I let him. In the mean time I will remember that I am a daughter of God, and do all of the things that I am supposed to. A girl in my ward who is a return missionary asked me to go to the temple with her tomorrow night and I think that I will feel much better after I go there.

I also want to thank my friend Jenny for always making me feel better. You said some things that really helped my testimony tonight. I am so lucky to have a friend like you, who is always thinking of spiritual things.

Love,

Nyssa

PS: Jared and Amber I really can't wait to see you guys!

Temple

Yesterday I was able to go to the temple to receive my endowment. It was nothing like I thought it would be (I don't think it ever is!) but I could feel the Spirit and I know that God wanted me to be there. I hope to go at least once a week before I go on my mission, and I am excited to learn new things there. All of the people that were there to help were so nice and they didn't make me feel dumb for not knowing what I was doing. I just love the peaceful feeling and warmth that can be felt there.

Happenings

So, if any of you were wondering, mission things are coming along. I already have my passport and most of my immunizations too. I've been going to my stake's mission prep class where I'm the only girl so it's a little intimidating, but my teacher told me as I was leaving last time, "Way to keep the Elders on their toes." So I guess I shouldn't be intimidated. I've also got my interview with the bishop done and just need one from the stake president and I'll be good to go to the temple soon. Mom and I have been making skirts and so almost all of my clothes are done. I already bought my shoes and jackets and things.

Everything is working out nicely, and I am getting really excited to be leaving soon. I only have 2 and a half months! crazy, time is going by so fast. So I am also excited because Mom and Dad can't take me to the MTC because of work, so I'll be flying to SLC and Jared will pick me up to spend a few days with him before they take me to the MTC. I am excited to see them since I haven't in a while. I've actually seen everyone else more recently than him (even Zac) so it will be fun.

Oh, in other news, I have been made the Young Women Secretary for my ward so I have been really busy with that, work and my online class. Life is good though. I am excited for growing up and serving God on a mission. I know it is what He wants me to do right now in my life.

Last week all of the mountains surrounding Las vegas were covered in snow. It was sooo pretty.


Well that's all for now.

<3 Nyssa

"In the Strength of the Lord"

I am in an online religion class this semester called "Teachings of the Living Prophets." In this class we have to read 8 assigned talks each week and write insights that we receive on them. One of the ones that struck me the most this week was given by Elder Bednar in a devotional at BYU-Idaho in 2002, when he was the President of BYU-Idaho. It is called, "In the Strength of the Lord" and talks about the enabling power of the atonement. I had never really thought about this aspect of the atonement before I read this talk.

Here is the definition of Grace:
"It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts (emphasis added)."

I loved how Elder Bednar talked about some scriptures with reference to this enabling power of the atonement. Here Nephi was taken by his brothers and bound with cords. Nephi's prayer is this in 1 Nephi 7:17 -
"O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound (emphasis added)."
I know I would probably have prayed for my brothers to let me go, but Nephi knew more about Christ's enabling/strengthening power.

Another scripture comes from Mosiah 24:14 where Alma and his newly converted bretheren were captives of the Lamanites.
"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (emphasis added)."

God didn't take away their burdens, but gave them the strength to carry them.

Another example of the enabling power of the atonement came from Elder Bednar's own life:
"The greatest lessons I have learned about the enabling power have come from the quiet example of my wife in our own home. I watched her persevere through intense and continuous morning sickness and vomiting during each of her three pregnancies. She literally was sick all day every day for eight months with each pregnancy. That challenge was never removed from her. But together we prayed that she would be strengthened, and she indeed was blessed through the enabling power of the atonement to do physically what in her own power she could not do."

These examples made me realize that whenever I have pain or burdens that I don't think I can carry, I usually ask for the burdens to be removed. Every time I have had a kidney stone or a headache or cramps, I have always asked him for the pain to be gone. I have never once said, "Give me the strength to handle the pain." I will try to do that from now on. We weren't left to do things on our own. The atonement can help us to have the strength that we normally, by our own means, wouldn't have. Nephi wasn't strong enough to break the bands, but with Christ's help he broke them. I hope that as I try to use this more in my life, I can be more prepared to preach the gospel. I know of my own strength I won't be able to, but through the enabling power of Christ's atonement for me, I can have the strength to preach with power and testimony. I won't be afraid to open my mouth if I am strengthened by his grace, and that is extremely comforting!

Best of 2009

I have been blog surfing and I saw a lot of blog posts about the best things of 2009. Here's mine:

~ Finishing 2 semesters of college without any C's

~ Being roomies with my best friends


~ Road-tripping across the country with Ayenne's Fam


~ Getting accepted to and completing an internship at ISU

~ White water rafting without dying


~ Gallon challenge with Richard and Zac ( I would put a pic on here but trust me, you odn't want to see it)

~ Seeing Richard and Zac go through the temple and then on their missions


~ Dressing up for Anime Vegas with Richard's sis Emily


~ Visiting my Grandma who I never see for a weekend in October


~ Dressing up as "Aguila Rosa" for Halloween (Finally!)


~ Dressing up for HP6


~ Spending more time with close friends (and making smoothies!)

~ Deciding to go on a mission

~ Growing closer to my Heavenly Father than ever before

~Missing Richard, but finding happiness in the little things


~ Being in 2 Relief Society Presidencies and serving the girls in my ward

~ Finishing my last semester in Rexburg for a couple of years


~ Getting my mission call



~ Spending my last Christmas with the fam for a while
(visit Britt's blog for pics --> )

I'm so grateful for 2009 but am glad to move on to 2010. Hoping you and yours had a wonderful year, and if not, make 2010 the best year yet!

This is late...sorrry

So, I figured everyone who reads this blog already knows, but I got my mission call on Thursday. I'm going to the Canada, Calgary mission!

I"m so excited! and I leave April 14th.