Happy Birthday, Dad

This isn't actually really totally about my dad, so don't get too bored already!  In five days, I will be going home.  I seriously cannot wait.  I haven't gotten to spend much time with my parents in a long time and I really miss them.  Don't let them know that, though, or it'll go to their heads and I'll never hear the end of it.  I do miss my family though.  It's kinda really sad that we haven't all been together in three years.  In fact, this is the second Christmas that I will be the only kid going home.  It's times like these that I'm so glad I'm sealed to my family, even if they drive me absolutely crazy sometimes!  


Anyways, this week is going to be nuts.  I have 5 finals, one paper, and will be working 20 hours.  They're basically the most inconvenient hours possible but considering I work for the testing center, someone has to be there to give other students the glorious opportunity to take their tests.


It seems the adversary is working really hard to make me feel down lately.  I must admit, this year hasn't been as great as last year.  It's kinda depressing to think that a year ago, I was spending my reading days trying to find time to hang out with all of my friends.  This year that's not really a problem.  Take that how you want.  School is hard, life is hard, and I miss my family.  It's so easy sometimes to just sit around and wallow in my own patheticness.  I think that's why I was asked to give a talk for today on seeking out Christ.  It really helped me see that I can find Him in all things and He will help me if I just ask Him to. 


I really like something I found for my talk that President Uchtdorf said.  He said that we are all given giant, wonderful portraits of Christ.  The portrait, however, is an intricate puzzle given to us piece by piece.  Sometimes we can't see how a piece fits into the whole but when we finally fit everything together, we can see that all along, Christ has been there with us all along.  


I feel like right now in my life I'm being given odd shaped pieces of my puzzle.  I never really liked puzzles to begin with - I always would do the edges and give up - and I am having a hard time seeing the big picture.  I know that one day, though, I'll be able to look back and not only see a glorious portrait of my Savior, but I'll see that all along He has been with me, carrying me when I could no longer move any farther.  That's such a good and encouraging thing to know.


As for my title, I am giving my dad myself as his Christmas present :)  Since I will technically not be home until Saturday (yay cruddy flights!) I will be getting home on his birthday!  So what better gift could I give him than having his favorite child home?


Anyways.  I should probably go back to studying instead of wasting my life away doing something I actually want to be doing.  Yayyyy schoooool...