Thursday, January 6, 2011

"A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils"

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  This has to be one of my favorite movie quotes  (You've Got Mail) and with all the excitement of a new semester starting, I think back to sharpened pencil bouquets.
       
  Even though I start a new semester every four months, I still feel that excitement every time another one rolls around. Of course it wares off after about three days and then I start to dread the alarm sounding off at 5am everyday.  But I still have to give the "back to school" magic the attention it deserves since it has been apart of my life for so long. 

   The back to school rush makes me want to buy mechanical pencils, sharpies, fancy page dividers, and printer paper. I secretly feel a twinge of pleasure while reading a new syllabus.  I feel like giving my teacher an apple, buying myself a new pair of shoes, and wearing my hair up a little more often.  I guess I just prefer all the changes that go on every so often- it's like a breath of fresh air.  I also love meeting my new classmates and teachers each semester.       
       
 I went to one class recently where the students went around the room introducing themselves.  One girl did a river dance for the entire class (in snow boots nonetheless). Another girl didn't have a social security number till she was eight because her mom forgot about it. Another guy used to be morbidly obese (he pulled out a picture from his wallet and showed us all), and another girl had been to 20 countries in three months....  That was just in one class. You just can't beat that.  
      
  It's my second to last semester here at BYUI and I'm trying to soak up everything I can while it lasts. I really enjoy my professors- I had no idea you could travel to so many places, hold so many degrees, have so many kids, and still only be 50 or 60 years old! The psych faculty is full of brilliant scholars, who are all so anxious to share their love of learning with you. I'm starting to catch on now and it's a good feeling to love learning. 
       
 Lastly and most importantly, Scott's birthday is tomorrow. I asked him a million times what he wants to do and three days before his birthday he finally told me he just wants to have the two of us do an Adam Sandler movie marathon and a birthday dinner- he chose brats on the grill, rootbeer in glass bottles, and potato chips with dip.  -- That's my kind of man! So tomorrow after a long day of classes, we'll curl up and laugh to the brilliant lines from "The Water Boy", "Billy Madison", and "Happy Gilmore".  If it sounds boring to you, just think of it as a six-hour cuddle-fest!  
       
I'm so happy to have Scott in my life. He brings me up everyday and makes me realize how blessed we are to be together forever.  I love his quirky sense of humor, his love for adventures, his supportive and understanding attitude, and his gentle, sensitive heart that has so much capacity to love. He is my best friend and I wouldn't have my life any other way than with him.  Happy Birthday and Back-to-School Week Scott!