Still haven't met you yet.

Just now I went running at the good ol' Field House.

And guess who I saw there?

This guy.

Guess who seriously considered stopping beside him and striking up a conversation?

Me.

Guess who disappeared after like 5 minutes?

Him.

Guess who was so distracted that she ran a whole extra mile without noticing?

Me.

I saw two quails today, which I took as a good omen.

I love quails.

Maybe that was my chance.

So if I see him tomorrow, it's going down.

Just a-walkin' down the street.

Today, I met the man of my dreams.

His name is Jared.

I was on the way to the Testing Center to take a test, and he asked me about my LBJ button.

Good start.

(haha.)

So I told him I like presidents.

He said he liked presidents, too!

What?

He said,

"I was just watching Kennedy's inaugural address, actually.

I just love that stuff.

It feeds my soul.

You know,

'Ask not what your country can do for you,

but what you can do for your country.'

I started crying in the library.

It was so embarrassing.

I teared up just now just talking about it."

I looked at him, and it was true.

There was a glint in his eye!

I mostly walked in silence because I was so dumbfounded.

I've been wondering for a long time where all the other people are in the world who would wear retro campaign buttons on their backpacks.

I think I just found him!

Then he went into the JSB to go to class. And I continued on to the Testing Center.

He told me his name was Jared, and I said I was Rachel, and he said,

"Nice to meet you, Rachel-lover-of-presidents."

Don't worry.

I did a ring check,

and we're clear.

So now, I just need to run into him again somehow, and we'll fall into beautiful, historical love. 

The end.

A happy little story.

Once upon a time,

two things that I wanted to have happen

happened

at the same time.

I think it was written in the stars.

The end.

Just haven't met you yet.

Do you ever have relationships in your head

with people that you see on campus?

I do.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Listen, it's not that weird.

This is how the story goes:

Once upon a time way last year, I took Living Prophets from Lloyd Newell.

There was this guy in my class.

And I found him...

handsome.

The good kind of handsome--the kind that you have to look twice to notice.

I was reminded of him last summer,

when I saw an article in a magazine that made me think of him.

And now this semester,

I

see

him

everywhere.

Crossing campus.

On the sidewalk near my house.

Often when I leave the office around 5 pm,

I see him in the lobby of the building where I work.

Once, I caught him eyeing my Greek textbook.

So now, I usually make longer-than-could-be-attributed-to-happenstance eye contact when I see him.

Sometimes I wonder if he notices.

I wonder if he recognizes me.

He always seems to be looking up when I walk by.

Today, I walked down the hall at about that time,

wondering whether he would be there.

I turned the corner

and he was.

And then I thought seriously about what would happen if I said,

"Hey, this is really weird, but we once had a class together,

and I just find you really handsome."

(And then I went home and facebook stalked him.

He's really clever and interesting, by the way.)

The end.

Life's boring if you're not just a little creepy.

Everything is good.

Everything is good.

Everything is light.

Everything is happiness.

Like going inside a temple that the pioneers spent 40 years building

and touching 120-year-old doorknobs

that they made with their consecrated hands.

Like sitting around with your FHE group

reminiscing about the 90s,

eating cookies and scratching each others' backs,

and feeling the Christmas feeling 

that you feel when Jesus is among you,

even though it's February.

Like making a kite from scratch,

and running around like a little kid

trying desperately to make it fly

while the streamer-tail is made to dance

by the wind a-blowin' all day long.

Like appreciating the snow

because you've got boots on

and it falls silently.

How silently, how silently

the wondrous gift is giv'n.

Like talking to someone

and feeling better afterward,

not worse.

Like party rockin' in the house tonight,

dancing the night away

in a group of people that you love so much,

you can't blink that strobe-light grin

from off your face.

Like looking at the cute baby in Greek class

that the dad in the front row brings with him,

thinking about the magnificence of man

instead of learning your grammar.

Like listening to Neal A. Maxwell

use words so artfully,

with such careful concern,

that you are moved to tears.

Everything is good.

Everything is light.

Everything is happiness.

Why must you turn my hall into a den of running?

Remember in high school when everyone used to RUN to the cafeteria at lunch time?

I never got it.


In high school, I wanted to get there as late as possible,
so I wouldn't have to sit alone at the table waiting for my friends.


But one day this week,


I was going to get a Pork Barbacoa wrap in the CougarEat for lunch.


I knew it would be packed, since it was lunchtime.


But just my luck,


my writing class let out early!


I crossed campus from the MARB to the Wilk, 


and,


it's true,


I started to run.


If I could just get in line before everyone else! 


That would be the difference between waiting for 5 minutes and waiting for 20 minutes.




I laughed at myself, realizing that.


for the first time,


I too was running to the lunch line.




But let me tell you my friends, 


it was a success!

Count Every Beautiful Thing You Can See.

Today, I realized there are so many beautiful things about life.

Like driving up the canyon,

past beautiful, strange rock formations,

to where there is snow on the ground.

And eating pork goulash

and vegetable lasagna

in a lodge 

near a crackling fire.

Sipping hot cider

and basking in the charm.

And then driving down the mountain,

leaving the winter wonderland behind

for another day.

If you're unhappy, it's because you've chosen to be.

Because there are too many beautiful things

to just not be happy!