My Face...

... is currently covered in pimples. I hate them. Mostly they're just teeny tiny little blackheads all over the place, but they're annoying! Plus there are two or three really conspicuous huge monster ones up there, too. It's making me mad.

Diseased

This week I was supposed to be ridiculously busy taking midterms and keeping up with the rest of my school and work and other obligations. Instead, I have spent the majority of my hours between two different locations: my bed, and (when feeling especially spry) our couch.

I hate having the flu, and it really couldn't have had worse timing.

And now my head is all foggy, and I can't hardly think or focus to even try to study for my midterms. I have 5 of them to take. By now, I was supposed to have taken 3 of them. Instead, I have taken 0. Yuck for tomorrow, huh?

Luckily, most of my professors are going to do what they can to help me take them when I'm feeling better.

Driving

Today I did driving. In a car with manual transmission. Woah!

This is a big deal for me, people. I am not exactly known for my driving finesse, and have historically been entirely incapable of driving stick. Just ask my daddy. It's deplorable.

Well, Keith needed to get to the airport today, and since he wasn't able to come down this past weekend because of work and also won't be able to come next weekend because he'll still be out of town, he came last night for a really quick visit, and I drove him to the airport this afternoon. So last night when he got here we went out for a really quick driving practice, and I just got it! I don't know how, but I finally really did feel comfortable driving that car. Wow, wow, wow.

I'm thinking maybe Keith's Jetta has a kinder transmission than my Dad's car. Or maybe it was a miracle. Or maybe all of the practice at separate times in my life has finally added up to make me capable of driving. Who knows? Either way, I drove all the way to Salt Lake and back today, and it was great!

We're Not Friends

I've realized something today, for probably the billionth time in my life, and I am more than certain that it won't be the last time I have to learn this same lesson over again. Anyway, I have once again realized that Satan is not my friend. He's just not.

Friends build you up and make you feel really great about yourself. They are there when you need them to be, to listen or offer good advice.

Satan and I, we're not friends. Sometimes he tries to convince me that we are. He whispers "hey, want to do something fun?" in my ear, and sometimes fun sounds like way more fun than schoolwork. Sometimes he'll come up and make a funny little joke in my head that makes me giggle a little at the expense of someone else. And then, sometimes before I even know it, he's the one chatting in my ear all day long. Only problem is that it's not very nice chatter.

See, Satan is not my friend. It is not his goal to build me up or make me feel good. He likes to whisper little nasties about me and the people around me. "You're not good enough at any of this... Just give it up- you'll never be anyone anyway... At least you're not as lame as her... There's no way you have the time to do everything for you AND for other people... Those scriptures, they're boring. Just lots of people killing each other, and you already know the stories... Prayer? Ha! You think the Great, Almighty, Infinite God has time to listen to you whine about your day? He's got more to worry about than how you miss your boyfriend and family and don't think you have time to get your stuff done..." and more. There's always something nasty that Satan could whisper into my ear, and he really does try his best to convince me to listen.

This week, I was listening a bit too hard.

Luckily for me, I know some things that Satan doesn't want me to know. Also, he doesn't want me to post them on the internet, I'd bet.

In Moses 1:6, God tells Moses "I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten..." Then Satan comes to Moses, and commands Moses to worship him. "And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who are thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?" (Moses 1:13).

I know that I, too, am a child of God. I am His spiritual daughter, and He cares for me. I know that His Son, Jesus Christ came to Earth to atone for my sins and struggles "...for he is full of grace and truth..." (Moses 1:6). And when I remember this knowledge, it is much more difficult for Satan to get inside my head and heart, because I can say "Who are thou? For behold, I, Caresse, am a daughter of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?"

Satan and I, we're not friends. But Jesus Christ? He is my Friend. He is my Savior, Redeemer and King. He lives and loves me and is guiding my life. I know these things to be true, even though I forget them far more often than I should. They are true forever! What a blessing to know these things!

Homeworking

I am absolutely buried in homework this semester- but I feel like I've gotten a lot of it under control today. Wrote most of a paper and did my statistics work for all of next week, so now I just need to get ready for my test that's the week after next. I have 4 tests that week. Yuck, huh? Anyway, there's lots of homework to be working on. Keeping busy.

Rough Day

Today is being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I am stressed. I have far too many things to do this semester, and not enough time to do them in.

Usually, I get stressed when I look too small-picture at things. Like focusing on just a week instead of thinking that I have a whole semester to get school done in. This time I'm looking bigger-picture, full semester, and guess what!?!?! I'm still highly stressed out. I guess I need to look even bigger picture, where school is a tiny blip in my eternal existence... that'd be helpful.

I think I'll go to Australia.

Or maybe I'll go make a sandwich.

Apple Juice

I hate apple juice.

It's disgusting.


This morning I visited a doctor, who told me I needed to be drinking juice. Apple or cranberry. The rest of that lovely doctor visit and attached circumstances are another day's post. And so, on my way home from doctor's I walked right past the grocery store, so I stopped in to buy juice. Except it was just the tiny little Creamery on Ninth. So they had a whole huge row of soda pops and just a tiny section of juice. Only apple. No other options. Actually, they had V8 also. Gross.

And so I walked home, apple juice in tow. I've had 3 whole glasses of apple juice since then. THREE! That's a lot, people!

I truly struggled through my last glass, though. I filled a small glass with juice, and a large glass with water, and told myself that I could not have any water until I drank all of the apple juice. It was so hard! I wanted so badly to get to that cool, crisp, delicious, smooth glass of water. But I had to wade my way through the muggy, sticky, thick sweetness of apple juice first. Yuck.

My roommate doesn't drink enough water. She actually buys apple juice to drink so that she'll stay hydrated enough, because when water is the only option, she'll choose not to drink anything. I simply can not fathom how anyone could ever so seriously prefer apple juice over water. It's like preferring Little Caesar's to Brick Oven (which I ate tonight- yum!). Preferring something all mucked up with filth and extra stickiness- I just don't get it. Of course, she sees it the opposite way- how would anyone prefer water? It's like preferring a Hershey's chocolate bar to triple chocolate cheesecake. Except she won't even get that analogy- she dislikes chocolate even more than she dislikes water. Anyway, it was a funny contrast to discuss this evening.