Last Firsts

By Ashley Peterson

I'm in my third week of my last semester at Brigham Young University! After a semester volunteering abroad, it's been crazy busy, and wild to remember balancing work, school, homework, life, church, clubs, etc, etc, etc! I came home from a vacation to Costa Rica the day before classes started, so it's been a whirlwind!

This week and last have been full of activities! If you're ever in need of some free pizza or junk food, head to the Wilk (or your campus’s main building) and look around- especially at the beginning of the semester! I've gotten tons of popcorn, Crumbl, BYU mint brownies and stickers from opening socials and organizations advertising job opportunities, classes and clubs!

Week 1

Sunday

Busy busy day! My dad and I flew to LA (where I got a delicious chocolate chip muffin from Lemonade) from Costa Rica, then home to Salt Lake, where my grandpa drove us to Draper, and we drove down to Provo so I could be there for my classes the next day. My mom and sister are flying back tomorrow, since they took extra time off from work.

Monday

I was very tired when I woke up, and unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to get much more sleep the next few weeks. Today was my last first day of school! Unless I get another degree but... we won't think about that right now. It was so fun to catch up with friends and cousins, and run into them on campus after not being here since I moved home last December to volunteer abroad.

Tuesday

I got a cute flower from my Floral Design professor with a sweet quote. My sister brought me some groceries since she was doing a Walmart pick-up order and I didn't have our car. I love having a personal shopper! ;)

Wednesday

Wednesday was a homework day, but I tried a snickerdoodle pop tart, which was pretty good, and watched the last episode of season 2 of Only Murderers In The Building. Go watch it, it's so good! Also, go watch Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Julie And The Phantoms, they deserved to be renewed!

Thursday

Thursday was a busy day full of friends, and I tried a cupcake pop tart, which was good, but not life-changing. Give me back my hot fudge sundae pop tarts, Walmart! Why are you always out?

Friday

Friday, Jeremy Jordan, my favorite Broadway performer (Jack Kelly has my heart), came to BYU and my cousins Aubrey and Jenessa and I were able to go! He did such an amazing job and it was a great night!

Saturday

Saturday was a very silly day. I had chobani s'mores yogurt, which was very good but probably so unhealthy (oh, well) and did homework, but after a shower, I used my reusable ear swab, which... broke. In my ear. My sister is in nursing school, so she came over to attempt to get it out, which unfortunately didn't work. However, she was invited to local author Brandon Sanderson's house by her friend, who is his niece, and she brought me a really cool bookmark! After she left, my mom came down and was also unsuccessful. We decided to try again the next day, so I wasn't able to hear very well all day Sunday!

Week 2

Sunday

Today was my first day in my new ward! It was fun to see some people from high school and previous classes.

I also had a lot of events back home in Draper and in Salt Lake these last two weeks. My dad's birthday dinner was the Sunday before Labor Day, so after we went to insta-care for my ear, I stayed overnight and enjoyed a slow evening at home.

Monday

I had a lazy homework day for Labor Day! My dad took me back to Provo and I convinced him to take me to Michael's, where I got some embroidery thread for a fall pattern I'm hoping to work on during October General Conference weekend. That night, I went swimming last-minute at my apartment complex pool with my friend Ellie, where we definitely got a little sunburnt oops!

Tuesday

The day after Labor Day was a busy one! My friend Rachel and I went down to the Maverick Center to see Ben Platt, which was so fun!! I've said it before and I'll say it again, musical theater performers give the best concerts!

Wednesday

My friends Rachel and Sarah and I went to the BYUSA and Y serve opening socials to learn about the opportunities for the upcoming year! We got tons of stickers, and I won one of the raffle items from the BYUSA social- a movie night snack kit!

One of my favorite classes, Editing For Publication, where the class is organized into an editing staff- we're all writers, designers and editors, and are organized onto an additional team. Today, the teams were announced, and I was made social media team lead! I'm excited to work with my team on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. (@StowawayMag, always be plugging)

Thursday

Thursday, I got to go to lunch on campus with my second cousin Katelin! We bonded over our mutual stress and busy schedules, and while she was grabbing her Chick-Fil-A, I was hit on by a freshman, who immediately left when Katelin came back and he found out I was a senior!

Friday

I finally went to True Blue Foam, an annual homecoming tradition where students participate in a giant blue foam-covered slip-n-slide, covering themselves in blue dye and bubbles! My first year, 2019, I went to Utah Valley University (UVU), in 2020, COVID canceled most events, and last year, 2021, I was working at the time of the event. This year, my friend Rachel and I finally got to go! The line was super long (and a lot of people were cutting in front of us grrr), but it was super fun! My shorts are still. blue.

Saturday

My mom, my aunt Shauna and I had dinner at City Creek (more Chick-Fil-A!) before heading to the Eccles Theater for the touring play To Kill A Mockingbird. It was really interesting to see the updates they made from the book and movie to adapt it for the stage and make it even more impactful for modern audiences. The original Scout Finch actress from the 1962 movie, Mary Badham played Mrs. Dubose in this version, which was really cool to witness.

It was so much fun to meet up with so many high school friends, college friends and cousins on campus to catch up or get lunch! Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A and the Creamery have all of my money now, but I'm not even mad. I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring. I'm soaking it all in and making the most of every last first!

<3 Ashley