I simply cannot believe it. At 2:00 today, I finished all secular schooling for at least two and a half years. And guess what? The feeling sucks.

I have never had such an amazing few months in my life, and I truly do not want to leave it. I am incredibly excited for my mission, but I also love learning, and am going to miss it dearly. I also don’t know how I am going to say goodbye to the incredible network of friends I’ve built up here! Luckily, that doesn’t have to happen for a few days, so we’re good.

BYU, I am going to miss you over the next two years. It has been an indescribable blessing, one I cannot put in words. I can’t wait till I come back!

I totally got my mission call today! I cannot believe it! Anyway…

I have been called to serve in the France, Toulouse Mission! I will report to the MTC on February 22, 2006. I will (obviously) be speaking French. O my goodness I cannot believe it! I am so happy, I am just about ready to burst!

Have an amazing day everyone!

My mission papers went in today!!! It’s been a wild and crazy ride with all sorts of dental work and tuberculosis and whatever, but they are in! Hopefully there are no hang-ups, and I can get them back in the 2-weekish window.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Tomorrow is the beginning of General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! And what do you know, but I totally scored tickets from a charitable soul in my ward who had many extra. So my roommates and I grabbed 4, and we’re going to drive on up tomorrow morning for the Saturday Morning session. How cool! I was just going to stay home for it, because I couldn’t get a hold of some family, but this is awesome!

Everybody should watch it! And now I must totally retire, because we are going to have to leave at like 6AM. Have an incredible weekend everyone!

It is finished! I have completed my very first official college paper, a character sketch of a Book of Mormon character for Honors Literature 203R - “Old Testament Roots in the Book of Mormon.” How cool is it that my first paper gets to be about a Book of Mormon character? Anyway, for a first paper, with a two-day deadline, I’m pretty proud of it. It is entitled “Amulek - A Diamond in the Rough” and is readable by clicking “more…” or by downloading the PDF.

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How about a quick report on how my classes are going that I’m taking? It’s been enough time for me to make a pretty good first guess, so why not. I’m enrolled in Honors 200 English, Mass Communications 101, Sharing the Gospel 130, Honors Literature 203R, Book of Mormon 121, Visual Arts Seminar, and Honors Seminar. If you are interested in any of those classes, read on!

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I know I’ve posted about this before, but I’ve got to say I love the Police Beat in the Daily Universe (available online at nn.byu.edu). It reminds me a lot of my old town’s newspaper, where we’d often have a hilarious mix of serious crimes and petty incidents. Highlights of this week’s Police Beat include:

• There is a disturbing amount of thefts at a place that is called “The Lord’s University.” 12 reported this week. That’s ridiculous, and I think that anybody who has committed any of these should go and see their bishop.
• “A faculty member claimed someone entered his office in the Snell building and took football tickets from his desk. The police checked the seats during the game but there was nobody with his tickets.” Hmmm, does it sound to anybody else like this faculty member… lost their tickets?
• Evidently, someone cemented 14 ceramic animals to the rocks by the water feature by the bell tower. I would have loved to have seen this!
• My hall totally made the Police Beat! Our RA’s window was smashed, and we don’t know who. We suspect the Ninja.
• Quite possibly one of the oddest stories to be in the Police Beat recently is this: “A father was trying to play Cupid between a Bookstore employee and his son. He tried to pressure her to go out with him but she told him that she didn’t want anything to do with her son.” What a wackjob.

Stay tuned next week, at the same Criminal Channel, same Criminal Place! BYU Police Beat!