Wonderful.

This week has been absolutely wonderful.  It is only Tuesday, but already the list is rather long:

• It is FALL! The air is cool and crisp.  The mountains are a vibrant redish orangish color.  And on the way to school I see these leaves all over the ground and I just can’t help but smile.

• And there are lots of leaves to crunch under my feet, which also makes me smile.
• On Monday I had a sound recording lab that went until seven, at which point I left the HFAC (Harris Fine Arts Center) in a rain storm.  I felt like a rather experienced college student as I drew my umbrella out of the water bottle holder on the side of my backpack and walked home in Utah’s version of pouring rain.  Which stopped halfway home.
• Upon reaching home I found Andrew who had two homemade pizzas waiting to come out of the oven, which not only makes for a good dinner, but also for some great leftovers!
• I’ve been running in the mornings with a good friend.  And that always feels great!
• I’m working on a honors thesis proposal and I’ve discovered that I actually like researching and reading journal articles.  I don’t even mind databases.  Or writing reviews of literature.  Now that is a pleasant surprise!
• Devotional in the Marriot Center was AMAZING today! The topic was being optimistic in a pessimistic world. I highly recommend looking it up in a month when it is posted online, but until then here is a short synopsis:  Sometimes life is hard and we just have to keep plugging along, but we aren’t alone in our difficulties.  We have a loving God who is aware of our struggles and is nearby, we just have to look up to and listen to him. And that is done by reading our scriptures and praying.  To find joy, we should take some time each day to reflect how God has played a role in our life or our family’s life.
• I am surrounded by really good people.  I have great friends, peers, coworkers, mentors, professors, and friendly passerbys.  And with close to four years under my belt at this wonderful university, I’m surprised with how many old friends I run into.  And people are a great reminder of how good life is.  And so is laughter.

This list is and should be so much longer, but at some point it is time to just go to bed.  Especially when tomorrow is going to be a great day and I need some energy to keep up with it!