Advice from an Eleven-Year-Old

I am home for Thanksgiving with my super cute little sister (well, four of them). But Ellie has some great insight on college life I thought I would share.

Q: What do you think about dating in college?
A: Um...you need to find a boyfriend right away.

HA.

Next question: Should you ever skip class?
A: Never skip class because then you can get behind and getting notes isn't the same as being there.

Not bad, little girl.

Q: What is the most important thing about life in college?
A: *clears throat* Having fun and getting a degree...or is it called a diploma?

Q: What are some dorm life must-dos?
A: Matching bedding with your roomie, seasonal decorations, braid each other's hair at least once a week.

I hope my roommate is reading this <3 <3 <3

Q: What time should a college kid go to bed/wake up?
A: College kids should go to bed anywhere from 9:30 to 11:00 and wake up every morning at 8:00 unless they have classes before then. :)

So much to learn.

Forever tired

Love

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34)

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

"But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;" (3 Nephi 12:44)

In order to use my bad mood (likely caused by lack of food, or just my bad attitude) in a somewhat productive manner, I've decided to write about love. Because clearly, I need to be better at showing love to others and recognizing acts of love in my own life.

I love the scriptures. I'm so grateful for the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the words of prophets which remind me of the perfect love Christ has for me, and for all of us. I definitely need it, especially when it feels like there is no other person in this city, state, time zone, planet, who loves me. We all feel that way sometimes, but what an indescribably wonderful feeling it is to know that there is someone out there who loves us no matter what! No matter what ridiculous thing we did or what trivial little something made us angry, He still loves us. I've never appreciated this idea nearly as much until getting out on my own a little bit.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said "Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity." I love this quote. I'm inspired by the people of whom I hear who, even in sickness, old age, or humble living conditions, go out of their way to help others.

A person comes to mind (we'll call him Jake (J is my favorite letter, fun fact.)) who has been more difficult to love than anyone else I have ever met, ever. This past week, I've made an active effort to cultivate Christlike love for this person because even if I don't like him, I still have to love him. So, like the scripture in 3 Nephi (and Luke 6) says, I prayed every day for something specific for Jake. I also thought of good qualities he does have and tried to focus on those instead of the ones that were more difficult to handle. Unfortunately, the Lord decided that it would take more than a week for me to really love this guy. Imagine that, having to work to change the way I feel. Every time I see him around (a couple times a week, even), I'm even more inclined to not like him. That's not supposed to happen! But I know God wants me to learn and grow, and putting someone in my life who frustrates me immensely is giving me an opportunity for me to learn, grow, and become better! It's an awesome blessing that I'm really trying to appreciate, even amidst this trial.

Love is so great. Probably the best feeling in the world. Even though there are countless levels and types of love, all the ones I've experienced have been incredible. I so enjoy seeing people reach out to strengthen or help others, whether it be tirelessly working with them, or just giving a hug. Thanks to God's infinite wisdom, with something so great as love accessible to us, we have equal access to the opposite.

"For it must needs be that there is opposition in all things..." (2 Nephi 2:11)

Enter anger. Malice. Hatred. Malcontent. (Insert negative emotion here). Isn't this fun? Or not. While life is meant to be enjoyed by all means, we enjoy it more having experienced more of the good-bad spectrum than sunshine and rainbows. So even today as I'm resenting how Jake makes me feel, there is so much great for which to be thankful! The important thing to remember, the thing that is the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that we have the privilege and ability and commandment to love and serve others, even when we'd just soon never have to interact with them. After all, Christ set the perfect example for us to do just that. He even healed one of his captors after suffering in Gethsemane, on the way to be taken to court and ultimately be crucified.

Nothing in my life is remotely that difficult. Even just thinking about how great I do have it, I cannot help but try harder to love everyone, from the homeless man on the street to the girl who seems to have it all together but really needs a friend, to Jake.

It was a Monday

Today is Monday. I woke up at 6:15 to go to Pancake Pantry with four wonderful sister missionaries and a friend from the YSA Branch. It is, in fact, possible to make pancakes that are worth getting up so early to eat.
So I had a great breakfast, despite walking ten minutes in the freezing cold 48 degree, slightly rainy and dark weather. So far, so good.
Later today, around the time I would have actually gotten up, things started to get complicated. And then something good would happen, and then two more bad things came along. Why.
After getting back to my room from a long day of classes and rehearsal, I made a list in my journal of all the bad things about today.

• It was rainy.
• And cold.
• It's Monday.
• I miss home.
• Specifically, I miss my couch.
• And powdered chocolate milk.
• And watching/singing along to Phantom of the Opera (POTO) with my sisters.
• And my best friend.
• Why can't good relationships stay incredible and only the bad ones fade away? I'd do just about anything.
• And why do I not have any best friends on campus yet?
• I forgot my wallet, which I only realized once I had ordered dinner across campus.
• I have so much work and such a busy week...
• ...that I had to miss free pizza and laser tag.
• Can life get any worse?

One of my talents, I've been told, is my ability to feel sorry for myself. But hey, sometimes life just sucks.

Then I came to my senses. I made a list of some of the good things about today.

• The sun came out!
• The afternoon was actually kind of beautiful.
• I took a nap.
• A stranger flexed me a meal so I didn't have to walk all the way back across campus to get my wallet. We're friends now.
• I got a letter from my cute sister.
• This is the second time I've gotten a letter when I really needed it. I love people.
• One of my other sisters sent me hilarious texts about pork chops. Something's gotta keep me entertained during econ.
• I kind of do have best friends on campus. And I am SO grateful for them.
• Someone gave me a bag of twizzlers just because.
• A friend from home spontaneously reached out to me and made my day.
• I know that the relationships I had prior to coming out here were real. And that even though our lives are only going to become more separate, we had a great run.
• That being said, I'm better friends with some people now than I was. I think the phrase is "c'est la vie." (Have I mentioned that I love French?)
• Also, three cheers for technology. I have it many times easier than my parents did.
• My grandpa's recently discovered Stage 4 cancer has shrunk down to a small fraction of what it was. Excellent and amazing news, beyond even what the doctor had hoped.
• That list of cons could have been 10x longer and today still would have been worth it just for that piece of news.
• Fasting and prayer are real, people. We can never afford to underestimate God's power.

So, amidst all my misery, I also found ways to feel better. And I took a break from studying about prisons to read the New Testament. Always a good choice.

Purpose

This week, I've been thinking about all God has entrusted me with.

Time. Talents. A body. Scriptures. Temples. Family. Friends...
Enemies. Opposition. Likes and Dislikes. Strengths and Weaknesses.

And He expects me to do what???
Keep the commandments. Share my testimony. Continually improve myself. Serve others.

Why does He even care? Why does He want me to succeed? After all, there are plenty of other people in past, present, and future, who could live up to all this. Someone's got to be the weakling, right?

Wrong.

That's the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one HAS to be the weakling. We are all weak as human beings, but when we apply the Atonement of Christ to our lives, we can be made infinitely more strong. We can conquer anything, and I do mean ANYTHING. Sometimes we feel on top of the world, and other times we feel 20,000 leagues under the sea in a sinking submarine.

This is how I like to think of it:

God has everything in His power and control. His gift to us of life and everything else I mentioned is like giving someone a brand new, bright red Ferrari. Only, it's not just anyone; it's an inexperienced, partially blind fifteen-year-old in the streets of Chicago. Pretty dangerous, ay? Well, yes. But the owner of the Ferrari has given this boy the appropriate eyewear, a driving instruction manual, and all of the other resources he needs to safely maneuver his way through the city. If the boy uses those resources, he has a much bigger chance of coming out unharmed than if he relies on his poor sight distance and lack of perspective. The owner wants the boy to be safe, knows he can do it, and has the best insurance plan out there to cover whatever may happen.

The Lord is rooting for us! He wants us to be successful, and to help ensure that, He has provided us with scriptures, with the Holy Ghost, with people to help us along the way, and most importantly, the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

For this, I am eternally grateful.






Welcome, Class of 2018



That's me in the yellow t-shirt. You don't see?

 Well, Camp Vandy is over. Orientation is coming to a close and life is just getting started. Classes have begun and the class of 2018 is spending every waking hour buried in books, modules, and calculus tutorial videos. Or something like that.
Actually, that's not even close.
Sure, there are classes, but there is so much free time around here, it's hard to even focus on working! There is so much to do on campus...people to meet, buildings to explore, people to re-meet, new games to play, walks to take (if it weren't so darn hot! Seriously, outfits are only getting one wear until we stop sweating through our clothes before 2 pm every day.) There have been welcome parties, like the one Friday night in the student center after a concert by every performing arts group on campus. I'm excited to audition for the Vanderbilt Concert Choir this week - I've been singing a lot and my roommate probably thinks I'm weird. (She'll learn.)

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen a legitimate band such as this (Magic Man) perform in person.
What have I been doing with my life?

Or the party Saturday night at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Whoever is in charge of freshman activities definitely pulls out all stops. We've been told by upperclassmen to enjoy the special treatment while it lasts. Security wouldn't let me play Elvis' solid gold piano, but they would let me look happy in front of his "Solid Gold Cadillac." I'll take what I can get.



On a different subject, classes have begun! I still can't get over the fact that "going to class" means less than an hour of sitting and taking notes, with 75% of the learning outside of the classroom.  It's incredible.  Today is one week since classes began, and I have somewhat of an idea of what each class will be like: lots of reading.


Of course, reality set in. But I'm loving it! 

Naturally, moving 400 miles away comes with its own set of challenges. I miss friends and family. I miss having a solid "Janette-work," as my dad likes to call it, of people I know and can really talk to. I miss being able to drive to Cook-Out at all hours of the night and get cheese fries and a chocolate Oreo cheesecake milkshake (idea creds to Isaac). I could make a much longer list of things I might miss about home, but it turns out that that's not such a good idea. Instead, I've made a list of a few things I love about being here.

1. It's a new start.
2. I have made some absolutely incredible friends. (It's hard to believe I've only known them for a week or two.)
3. I can be out as late as I want. Of course, I still text Mom & Dad to tel
    
   l them I'm in as I always have, but now I mostly do it to let them know that I am livin' the life.
4. The daily selfie exchange between me and my siblings at different points in the day. I'm so grateful for technology.
5. People are so friendly and accepting. Sure, part of that is people putting their best foot forward just as I am, but there's a reason Vanderbilt was named the campus with the happiest students. (link).
6. Is Commodore Cash the same thing as Monopoly Money, and what is the equivalency ratio to Schrute Bucks? 

A few nights after my roommate moved in, it was 9:30 and we were both ready for bed.  And then we thought, "wait a second, this is college. Aren't we supposed to, like, do things at night?" We determined that an acceptable time to go to sleep was 10:00, so around 9:45 we took a power nap to make it to 10...and woke up the next morning. Alas.

 

Today in economics, a buzzing, flying insect landed on me for at least seven seconds. It may have been my scariest moment since being targeted in the band-wide game of Assassin.

 

This is me next to Martha Rivers Ingram, after whom the
freshman Commons was named. This one's for you,
Martha Jane!

Maybe this is the end of the rainbow.

I'm very grateful to be here and really try to make the most of every day. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now, and that the next four years will bring blessings, discoveries, challenges, and plenty of surprises.

 

As Gordon B. Hinckley said,

"Do your best, and be a little better than you are."

 





The Beginning of the Beginning

I have been in college for approximately two days. I am attending Vanderbilt University in hopes of earning an honorable degree and continuing on to graduate school. I might become a lawyer; I might become a psychiatrist; I might drop out of school and sell used cars, but that's less likely. Coming to Vanderbilt is the very first of many steps I will be taking over the next few years to set my life on track and become a unique, independent, self-sufficient adult.



5:00 am selfie with Charlotte on August 12

 


Landing in Nashville at 8 am

My lovely helpers, Martha Jane and Mom :) They were
so sweet to stay and do most of my unpacking
while I went to band camp.



Did we buy enough stuff?

 

As I said, I have been in college for about two days.  I moved in on Tuesday, August 12, the first day of band camp. I loved my high school band experience, unique as it was, so much, that I had to try the real thing in college! So I am officially the synthesizer (electronic keyboard) player for the Spirit of Gold marching band! I can't believe I'm actually a full-on member of a marching band! Anyway, this band is particularly cool because it is made up of students from Vanderbilt, Belmont, Trevecca, Lipscomb, and other surrounding colleges. In the past two days, we have learned an entire pre-game show and started stands music (those of us in the front ensemble get to play the cymbals! I am so excited!) I love practicing in the stadium, in front of 60,000 invisible people. I can not wait to perform on game day! August 28, ESPN. Don't miss it. I have made some great friends, especially within my section, gotten sunburned, gotten sassed by my instructor (somehow I come across as snarky...) and learned how to beat anyone at rock-paper-scissors. It's 95% guaranteed and science. I will win.


Did I mention we get to wear Vandy baseball caps to march?
 I do love hats.

 

 



Hank Ingram dorms, a/k/a "Hotel Hank"

 


MJ helping unpack. I appreciate her help, but she better
know I saw she stole my Cheez-Its!

 


Enough space to live, not enough to let it get messy



I've noticed the influence of my friends and family on me through things I say, do, or think about.  I've also noticed similarities between people I know from home and those I am just now meeting.  I'm grateful for an incredible high school career, full of instructors who cared for and mentored me into becoming sure of myself as an individual.  It hit me yesterday that I am accountable to myself. That's it. If I want to go explore campus, watch Netflix, or go out for pancakes at 2 in the morning, I can.  There are no room checks, no hall sweeps, no taking away phones for misbehavior, none of that. I am accountable to myself and, as my own hardest critic, I'm going to keep myself on the straight and narrow.  Of course, the fact that I'm not in high school anymore means that school doesn't have to play clean versions of songs, and instructors can do as they please (which will hit home even more once classes begin August 20.) Finally, I've cemented my belief that you can never eat too many Tootsie Rolls, and I know my Grandma Mackay would back me up on this. I may have to restock sooner than I thought.

Band has been my entire waking life since Tuesday, and it has been a blast. At the same time, I am thoroughly excited for my roommate to move in on Saturday with the rest of the first-years, for classes to start, for my first time getting lost, for the homesickness, for the many FaceTimes of the future, for church, and all else that is to come.  It's nice to be in a new environment, not knowing anyone, and able to make a completely new name for myself.  It helps that no one knows anyone either - everyone is just out to make friends and have the best experience possible. I'm so grateful for the friends I've made here and those back home with whom I do and will keep in contact.  Here's to the beginning of a great four years!