4:00 AM

So sometimes, when you go to bed so exhausted you get a goose egg when your face hits the pillow, you then spastically wake up at about 3:30 feeling like you got 12 hours of sleep already and you're supercharged for an awesome day to start!

Usually when that happens, no one else ever seems completely ready to start the day with you, which makes things a little bit complicated when you start getting out the pots and pans to make pancakes for your roommates.

Just kidding I didn't do that. Not tonight anyways.

However, since I'm awake and can't sleep, I figured I'd write since it really has been a couple of weeks. I'll start with an introduction.

Hi, my name is Elise, and I have been nap-free for 3 days now.

First, did you respond with, "Hi, Elise?" And are you applauding? Do you understand what a huge deal this nap sobriety is? Or that after those 3 days of nap-free-bliss (and death, let's be real. Everybody loves a good nap), I was still walking by the end of day 3 like a normally paced human being? Or that I ran yesterday and still had the strength to throw the football afterwards?! I did have to quit a little early, because my arms and legs get a little shaky and weak, but that's only because I ran AND THEN played around afterwards. And then was well enough for a date after a couple hour break!

So that's why last night I went to bed feeling like I could sleep for at least 12 hours. But... alas, here I am, less than 6 hours later, awake and spilling my soul to the world. It's a bad habit... but it seems to be something I so enjoy ;)

In the past two weeks, I have broken a university door single-armedly, planned for activities coming up for the ward for hours (which really has been me and my cochair getting helplessly distracted at some points. That's okay, I like hanging out with him), seen Meet the Mormons, not done laundry again (I'm out of quarters...), and gotten jeans. Oh, the sweet relief of finding pants that you don't feel like you want to burn because of how awkwardly they fit.

First, the door story. This amazing university has been so good to me as I have come back to school with some continuing but fading health issues. They let me have a locker in the University Accessibility Lab, right in the middle of the main floor of the library on campus. This lab is staffed by kind people who range from bright, upbeat secretaries that ask me about my classes to the quieter mumblers that I feel like I somehow make uncomfortable by greeting with a smile. There is no problem with mumblers- but we have to admit, don't we, that they do exist.

On the fine day I am thinking of I was walking into the Lab to return my chemistry book to my locker. I was with my dear (stinkin hilarious) friend and trainer from my mission, Celeste, and we were giggling our heads off as usual. It's our preferred form of communication when we are together, besides passionate conversations in her native tongue, and the language of my soul. Yes, you guessed it, Swahili.

Kidding. Spanish.

I quietly greeted the desk man, who was one of those mumblers, when we entered the room. As Celeste and I were exiting the lab after I replaced my books in my locker, I got a little excited and my spacial awareness seemed to suddenly decrease for a moment as we went to walk through the sliding glass door.

These doors are not normal. When you walk towards a sliding glass door, you usually slow your pace so that it has enough time to open. This particular door opens about the pace of a turtle. That is dead. And moving backwards.

Celeste and I had chosen delirious laughter as our language of choice at that moment and I continued to walk forward as if the door had no delay and I wasn't about to make the biggest fool of myself I have possibly ever made. And then, it happened. Just as I turned to say goodbye to my friend at the desk with laughter in my voice, my right arm made contact with the edge of the turtle paced sliding glass door.

This was not a quiet or delicate or feminine moment in my life. The door banged as if I had run into it with my entire body, face included, shook, and then JOLTED FORWARD. OUT OF IT'S SLIDING TRACK. INTO THE HIGH TRAFFIC HALLWAY OF STUDENTS.

My entire future of ever graduating college shattered before my eyes as I began scanning through the files of memory in my brain to figure out if I had ever researched how much it costs to replace a sliding glass door, and if I could get kicked out of BYU because of pure idiocy, while I hopelessly turned around in circles, stumbling over my speech and ridiculous bouts of laughter, sputtering "Did I break it?" and "Wait, how do you fix that?" and "Excuse me sir, I'm sorry. I'll fix it. Hold on!" to the man who was now sitting behind the desk, looking at me, mouth open, with a look that seemed to say, "You just ran over my dog, you beastly human" and refusing to utter even a comforting phrase, at all. Not one word.

Celeste was in the hallway, watching me and laughing her head off. I began to try to shove the door back into its track and continued repeating the above phrases as I tried to take seriously the grievous sin I had just committed in the receptionist's eyes. I am still a weakling, but I was fortunately able, after some serious effort, to shove the entire door back into its track, and the panel in front of it that had popped out as well. I straightened myself, took a deep breath, and released it in relief as I watched the door halt awkwardly in its turtle paced slide and then jolt back into motion and complete its closure. I glanced again at secretary man, and giggled/huffed in an awkward voice, "Sorry about that," as I lurched out of the room and he continued to look at me as though he had never come across such an insanely and absurdly unbalanced human in his life.

Good thing I get to go back into that room every day for the rest of the school year. Let's just say I'm talented at making... unforgettable... impressions.

Next story. It's not a real story, just that fact that my cochair taught me how to play the guitar! I know two chords. I think I may be requesting a guitar for Christmas. Yes, the guitar lesson happened when we were supposed to be planning our upcoming committee meeting. Yes, we did end up having another meeting the next day. Good thing we are such good friends!

I've also seen the movie Meet the Mormons! It. Was. Awesome. I had heard it was good, but I think I just expected a long 'Mormon Message' and didn't have super high expectations. It follows 6 different members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints around and shows their lifestyle. It very accurately portrays normal families, and humble people whose faith seeps into their every day life, and every action. It was hilarious as well, as we got to know people from Nepal, Costa Rica, and all over the United States as they interacted with friends and family. I thought it showed very well what conversion to Christ means- living your religion and faith every day. Not being perfect, but as one man stated in the movie, "being perfect at trying." Go see it :) It was so good.

And lastly, the fact that I haven't done laundry again for two weeks. It's really a bad habit that I need to break. It's getting ridiculous.

Oh, and my new jeans. All I'm trying to say is that I got 2 pairs of jeans and some flippin gorgeous red nail polish for under $20. Ain't nobody funna complain that I can't bargain shop. And also I got two other pairs of pants, for which I paid only $26. And I may have also found some very attractive nude pumps for $10. And found a killer sale on boots, in which I got one pair for free after I purchased another pair. Stop doing the math. Just appreciate how excellently I am prepared for not only every day life but also the winter here in Provo. Thank you for allowing me to mindlessly brag about my frugality when it comes to obviously necessary items.

In other words, yes, I know I'm being a girl and probably could have survived without these items. But it's nice to like your pants. And to have warm feet. And to have SUPER FLY toenails when you take your shoes off. Because everybody knows that all natural toes are a no-go. Mm mmm.

Last thing. I just wanted to help us all appreciate the fact that when we get grumpy, people are still our friends. I have been grumpy this week. But people are still my friends. Thank goodness I'm starting to feel well enough to run again. I've been dying for an outlet... and my friends have still been kind even when I am a stinker. Nice people. I love good people, especially the ones that you know were placed in your life for a specific reason at this specific time to support you in exactly what you are going through. As the lady from Meet the Mormons said (and I paraphrase), "I believe in divine appointments that God makes for us with each other." Yep. That's real. We are never left alone, but will be led to happiness if we but trust and choose Him. Let's keep those appointments. And trust that He's made them for us.

Love you all! Sleep tight. I might end up actually falling back asleep. I'm tired again :) Thank the sweet Heavens above.