Adventures as a Freshman at BYU-I in Rexburg, Idaho

3 October 2015   Have made it through almost 2 weeks of school without going a little bit "crazy" -- late nights, 100's of pages to read, an important math test tomorrow (at the testing center and I don't know how to get there), bi-weekly quizzes, several essays to write, deadlines to meet, learning how to use a laptop when I'm used to a keyboard, learning how to use a new brand of printer, not sleeping in my own bed (resulting in sleepless nights), etc., etc.. I have greater empathy for my grandchildren when they say they have "tons of homework." Just hoping I can reach my goal of getting excellent grades by the end of the semester - which is only 11 weeks away. Time is flying and, in spite of all the challenges, I am still excited about this personal improvement project. Onward and upward!

11 October 2015   Traumatic experience this morning on my way to church --
(Speed limit is 50mph) I had just turned the corner, heading east with the sun in my eyes and starting to accelerate when there was a terrible collision with something very solid. I remember surveying the road before accelerating and all was clear. The dog must have come charging up the driveway into my path. I have no idea if I could have stopped in time. But after coming to a stop and looking into my rearview mirror, I could see children running rapidly away from the road toward their home. My first thought was I'd hit a child and was shaking so badly that turning around and returning to the scene was almost impossible. Driving back I saw the mother running toward the edge of the roadside ditch, then bending over and stroking something on the ground. The father and children were gathered around her. As I struggled to exit my car, I was met by the father and a witness to the scene and informed that I had hit a dog. Of course, I was relieved, but the thought of what could have occurred has been wracking my soul ever since. What if it had been a child?
My car sustained minor damage.The right-hand turn signal was broken out along with a big chunk of the grill. Thankfully, the airbag did not deploy. The car is driveable and I was able to continue on to the church without further incident. Robb is going to check the extent of the damage. He's hoping he will be able to repair some of it and save me a big repair bill. We shall see. I'm sure my guardian angel was present.

12 October 2015

BYU-Idaho Admissions Office

October 12 at 3:18pm · 

Meet Marcia Watkins, a 76-year-old freshman, here, at BYU-Idaho. We couldn't be more proud of her and her decision to start working on a college degree.

When asked what inspired her to come back to school, Marcia said,

"I have four life time goals— get married in the temple, have a family, get a college degree, and serve a mission. I gave up a full ride, four-year scholarship to BYU Provo after high school graduation because I met and married my husband. We have seven children, who are all married and have given us 29 grandchildren;10 of whom are married and have given us 19 great-grandchildren. My husband and I served a 30-month CES mission in the Calgary Canada Mission and a 17-month service mission at the LDS Recreational Ranch, Moapa, Nevada. My husband passed away three years ago, leaving me with a lot of free time. The brethren have been stressing the value of education, so following a strong prompting from the Spirit, I decided to work on getting my degree."

14 October 2015   Almost 4 weeks of school are completed and I am just now starting to be able to use the laptop keys to compose a paper without picking and choosing letters with one or two fingers AND I'm becoming a bit more proficient with my calculator. Took me a couple of weeks to learn how to access the internet on campus. Technology is amazing if you know how to harness the power. The "neurons" in my brain (or whatever they're called) have been too lazy for too long and are just beginning to wake up. I'm hoping that all the stored knowledge somewhere in my brain will start to respond to my urging. It's a good thing I like to read or all these reading assignments would be pure drudgery. This "going back to school" is HARD WORK, but the dream has not faded. Thankfully, the weather has been mild and even though my feet get cold some days, it's not freezing things yet. Have been riding the trike only 2 or 3 days a week because of the homework load. Life is good, so it's onward and upward!