MEMORIES FROM BYU
One of the questions that I tend to get asked the most is:
“Are you ever going to go back to BYU?”
If I am being completely honest, I’d have to say probably not! (although, you never know. The Lord does love to throw me some major curve balls.) BYU was a dream I’d had since I was a little kid, and the fulfillment of that dream was not at all what I expected. I just don’t really have the desire to go back. Someday! Maybe. But I kind of doubt it. However, despite the fact that BYU was not all of my wildest dreams fulfilled, that doesn’t mean that I completely hated my time there. BYU was seriously one of the greatest experiences of my life. It helped me to grow, gave me great friends and experiences, and gave me the opportunity to learn at an incredible institution. I’d say I really got the bang for my buck with my one year there. So, to discredit the reputation I have of going from loving BYU to hating BYU, I am going to share my top five BYU memoires. Let’s all transport ourselves back to 2014, and let the memories begin.
1. BYU Basketball Games
I was born and bred a BYU fan, and getting to go to the actual games was one of the things I was looking forward to most about college. I kind of stumbled into this incredible group of friends, who loved BYU sports just as much as I did, and definitely fed into my obsession. We tried to attend as many sporting events as we could, especially basketball. (this NM girl could not hang at the C-O-L-D football games) We even went as far as to camp outside of the gymnasium in the freezing cold, so we could make sure to get front row seats. (my friends were gracious enough to never make me actually sleep outside in the tent, and for that I am eternally grateful). We may have gotten sick and snotty, but it was all worth it. The camping, the running down the stairs to save our seats, and the cheering until we could barely talk, are some of my most treasured memoires at BYU.
2. BYU vs. Utah
Sorry, we got another basketball memory on our hands. Anyone whose anyone knows that one of the biggest rivalries on earth is between BYU and Utah. I knew from a young age that blue was better than red, and that every BYU win was to be savored (because they may or may not have been few and far between). I was so excited to find out that the biggest game of the year was going to be played on our campus, so, that gave me an actual, real-live chance to go. Then, one of my Uncles showed me how much he truly loves me. He got tickets for us to go to the big game. (If that is not true love, then I don’t know what is). It was so cool to see the big rivalry game in real life, but it was even more fun to spend with my Uncle. I can’t even remember the score of that game, or who won, but I do remember how fun it was to spend time with him.
3. Friday Night Dinners
I was lucky enough to room with one of my best friends from my hometown. It was so nice to have a piece of home with me. It made things a lot more comfortable, and for sure gave she and I a forever friendship. I have so many fun memories with her, but one of my favorites was Friday Night Dinners. Every Friday after class, she and I would celebrate making it through another week. (trust me, making it through all that homework each and every week is a true victory). We would go out and get some yummy food, bring it back to the dorm, set up the laptop, and watch some of our favorite tv shows from home. It was so comforting to kind of shake off the papers, the snow, and the stress, and just kind of feel like we were at home again. It was truly one of the highlights of my week.
4. Family Time
Although my immediate family lives in New Mexico, every other member of my family lives in Utah. Like all of them. So, when I moved up to BYU, I got to connect with my extended family members a lot more. Lunches with Grandmas (or both grandmas picking me up medication when I was sick. They are the real MVPs), Sunday night dinners, babysitting, going to movies, even rides to haircuts were all opportunities for me to grow closer to my extended family. The time I got to spend with them is one of the best gifts I got out of my time at BYU, and is one of the things I miss the most!
5. The Ending of my Writing Class
Always Miss. Positivity, aren’t I? Out of all of the classes that I had at BYU, my Writing Class was the one that I dreaded the most, and the one that kicked my butt (so ironic). However, looking back, I feel it is one of the classes that I benefited from the most. It is where I really developed my personal writing style, and taught me the mechanics of what makes a good writer. (plus, getting an 89 on that twelve page paper was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life) I’m not sure if I would be blogging today without that class. However, I am not going to lie and say I wasn’t thrilled when it finally came to a close. I’d say it was a slightly bittersweet moment, but definitely more sweet than bitter. I made an incredible friend in that class (who I would not have survived without), and I learned that I can do hard things. So, it was worth it, but I’d never want to repeat it 😉.
So, will I ever go back to BYU. No, probably not. However, I would encourage anyone who has a desire to go, to go. BYU was one of the scariest, craziest, most fun experiences of my life, and I know it helped to shape me into the person I am today. I made lifelong friendships while there, and there about four million other wonderful memories I could share of my time with each and every one of them (I spared you the forever long blog post, though. So, you’re welcome). I can definitely say that I look back on my time at BYU with fondness, and if I could do it all over again, I would still go. Some of my greatest memories came from my time at the Y, and why would I want to give those up?
P.S. Go Cougs!