lions and lambs

I went to bed last night with high hopes that I could wear my cute new skirt to school today. I thought to myself "It's March...sure, it's cold today but it will be all better in the morning." Silly thinking apparently. When I woke up this morning, the ground was covered in a beautiful, sparkling, white blanket of snow. Isn't March supposed to come in like a lion out like a lamb? Maybe mother nature is just a little bit confused this year. Do not fear though, as the day has progressed the snow is melting at a steady rate. It is March in Utah, after all. And, the skirt will come later in the week...I just need to give the snow a little time to melt perhaps :)

llama!

Today I saw a rather unseemly sight on my way from my religion class to my blood banking class. I was on my way from the JSB to the Marb when I came upon two llamas. Since when are there llamas on the BYU campus? I found this rather amusing, as did a good number of other people I am sure. There were about twenty five of us who stopped to take pictures.

Now I have seen and heard of some strange things happening at BYU, but this one just about takes the cake.

my top ten

Since spring has almost sprung I decided that I would share of my love for the season.  Spring is my favorite season for any number of reasons and not just because of my birthday.  Here are my top ten reasons that Spring is my favorite season (Letterman style and everything...just pretend that you can hear the music and the sound of symbols):

10.  Finals-mainly because that means that I get to take a break from school.

9.  Out come the flip flops!

8.  Jackets and coats go into storage for another few months (this is particularly helpful for the cleanliness of my room since they tend to take up a lot of floor space).

7.  It snows in the morning, but miraculously, by afternoon it is warm enough to wear short sleeves and flip flops.  Well, in the case of a spring in Utah at least...

6.  Everything starts to come alive again.

5.  More Grey's Anatomy (this would be specific to this year considering the multiple month hiatus that was the writer's strike).

4.  It seems that people come out of hiding...everyone is more lively and happier in general.

3.  The gas bill goes down due to less usage of the heater.

2.  It is warm!  Yay for having the sun shine!

And last, but definitely not least...

1.  There are all sorts of beautiful flowers of all colors, both on the ground and in the trees, that blossom and show off their beauty.

you did what?

I have often been told that I should change my major. There are a number of things that brings this statement out of people. Most commonly it is the fact that I take 3 tests or so every Friday, and that doesn't even take into consideration the test that I take every Tuesday. For some, it seems, this is a major turn off. I understand this sentiment, but I guess that I have just learned to deal with the fact that it is my reality for the next couple semesters. Another common reason for people to tell me that is that we draw each others blood every week. Which means that if any of us had a fear of needles, it quickly had to be conquered.

Today, however; I am pretty sure that I have a new reason for people to tell me to change my major. The tests that we performed today were a bleeding time test and a capillary fragility test. The picture below is a picture of the cut on my arm, and yes, it is less dramatic that I thought it would be. This would be from the bleeding time test. It basically consists of cutting the patient and then watching them bleed and timing how long it takes for the bleeding to stop. It might be just a teensy bit barbaric...


The capillary fragility test was more barbaric, and also more painful i might add. For this test we left an inflated blood pressure cuff on our arms for five whole minutes in order to see if our capillaries could stand the pressure. If they didn't then we would have lots of little petichiae (little bruises). Lucky for me, my capillaries could take it.

This picture was taken about three and a half minutes into the proceedure. Yes, they are the same person's hands. And yes, the one is very much more purple. And finally, yes, I am still a CLS major. I wasn't scared away.

one of my favorites

In church today we sang one of my all time favorite hymns.  It is hymn #185 Reverently and Meekly Now.  It really hits me every time that I sing it or hear it sung.  The descriptive words that are used and the way that it is written makes the atonement so real for me and helps me to realize how much the Lord loves me.

Reverently and meekly now, 

Let thy head most humbly bow.

Think of me, thou ransomed one;

Think what I for thee have done.

With my blood that dripped like rain,

Sweat in agony of pain,

With my body on the tree

I have ransomed even thee.

In this bread now blest for thee,

Emblem of my body see;

In this water or this wine,

Emblem of my blood divine.

Oh, remember what was done

That the sinner might be won.

On the cross of Calvary

I have suffered death for thee.

Bid thine heart all strife to cease;

With thy brethren be at peace.

Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be

E'en forgiven now by me.

In the solemn faith of prayer

Cast upon me all thy care,

And my Spirit's grace shall be

Like a fountain unto thee.

At the throne I intercede;

For thee ever do I plead.

I have loved thee as thy friend,

With a love that cannot end.

Be obedient, I implore,

Prayerful, watchful evermore,

And be constant unto me,

That thy Savior I may be.

Christ really is on our side.  He suffered and died for us so that through him we might have eternal life.  Most of the time it is hard to even grasp a tiny bit of what He went through for us, but some things help us at times to come even just a little bit closer to comprehending the magnitude of His sacrifice.  This song is one of those things for me.