An Ode to BYU

I have to admit, I am definitely one of those sentimental people that loves hanging onto "meaningful" scraps of paper and souvenirs that represent some happy moment in my life. This has never really been a problem until I married someone who has the same bad habit and then tried to move all of these "meaningful" things across the country without going crazy with the mess and extra space they take up. Watching us pack was probably pretty amusing. I worked up the courage to go through my sentimental things, threw away a lot of it, and narrowed it down to one box. When I tried to help Nate do the same, it didn't go as well. I would attempt to throw away stacks of his papers that I thought were a waste of space, and he would dig through the trash and collect them all. After awhile we stopped trying to organize it all and just threw it into various boxes hoping it would sort through itself. His next project, which he will probably never get to with the coming baby and the starting of dental school, is to organize all of the papers and things he wants to keep into files. I've decided he can keep as much as he wants as long as it is organized. Marriage is all about compromise after all :)

Anyways, being as sentimental as I am, I can't move on from one of the most meaningful times in my life without some sort of way to immortalize the memory. Instead of keeping all of my old schedules, maps of the school, concert and activities tickets, etc. from my time at BYU, which take up way too much space, I'm going to write down my memories in a semi-poetic form. We'll see how this goes lol :)

An Ode to BYU

First things first, 

This is no normal place

Good isn't just good

And great isn't just great.

You have to find your

Own purpose here,

Something more meaningful

Than just being the best,

'cause that's a goal

you're not likely to get.

When picking a major,

choose wisely, but 

always be open to change.

You never know when

something way better

will come along and

sweep you away.

I could've been a 

dietitian, or maybe

even a doctor, too.

But when it came down 

to what was most 

meaningful for me,

I found any BS would do.

What's most important

is the wisdom I gained

from hours of study

and hours of play. 

FHE group freshman year

Me and a group of friends about to go heart-attacking

Festival of Colors

I learned from my time

spent on the various

couches on campus

how for the mind

sleep is very precious.

I learned from my 

work with catering

the true art and delicacy

that we call eating.

I learned from my

seemingly endless 

chemistry classes that

a person can survive 

any torture to the mind

if they look at it as

a chance to grow and thrive. 

I learned from my 

fun but sometimes

painful dating days

that love is much 

simpler when you

choose to be yourself

and step out of the haze.

Nate and I going to the homecoming dance.

Nate and I at festival of colors.

I learned from my

roommates that there

are times when those 

that are most different

from you can bless your 

life beyond compare.

The doughnut game

Emily, Allie, Aubrey and I

Me and Aubrey

San Diego beach :)

San Diego Temple

Sea World in San Diego

Me and Susan

Temple trip

Provo Temple

Allie, me and Julie

I learned from my religion

classes that God loves

all His children and 

wants each of us to be happy. 

I learned from all of

my classes that God is

in every field and every

science, and that all truth 

points to the same great

truth: God lives. 

I learned many times

that letting go of grudges 

and choosing to love 

is always the better road.

I learned to ignore the

stares and judgement

of those who didn't like

the way I dressed or 

did my hair. College isn't

a fashion show after all.

I learned that two is 

so much better than one.

Nate brought a joy to 

my life that I never 

could've imagined. 

Every sacrifice since has 

been way more than worth it. 

You'll notice I'm losing my

rhythm and time, which

brings up another thing

I learned: I'm way better 

at prose. So I'll end with 

the most important thing 

I learned at BYU:

No one knows better than

God what is best for you.

His plan is the plan of 

happiness. Your plan is

and will always be second

best. So when the call comes

down the line of prayer

to change a major,

to get married, to have 

children, or to move

halfway across the 

country, ignore anything 

that's telling you you're

crazy, and follow the voice

that is never wrong. He has

never failed me. So thanks 

BYU for teaching me

so much, and most of all, 

for building my testimony.

-Kamie