Today.

I wish I could swim faster. Penguins can swim up to 20 mph. That's awesome!

Cultural Diorama

So I had to make a cultural diorama for my TELL 400 class. I decided to post it on here. Basically I had to talk about what my culture is all about and why I am the person I am. It was in powerpoint form, but I'm obviously just cutting and pasting it on here.

Utah Born Missouri Bred BYU Bound

Scrapbooks, Journals, and Blogs…Oh My!

•Quite often I find myself writing down my thoughts in a journal or on my blog. I love the feeling of writing to my posterity and future self. Going back through things that I’ve written puts a smile on my face. Ever since I was a child, my parents taught me to make journal writing a priority in my life. Over the years, I have benefited from my own thoughts as well as the journals of others that I’ve read. I’ve found that blogging is a great way to put my thoughts down for others to see as well. It’s a good way to stay connected with my family members as well as friends who are far away. Scrapbook is another creative outlet for me and preserves so many special memories. I want to be remembered not only from the stories, but the true thoughts of daily life through my journals, blogs, and scrapbooks.

Born To Be A Cougar!

•I was born in Provo, Utah and dubbed a “BYU Baby” considering the fact that my parents both attended BYU. Ever since then, I believe I was destined to come to BYU and become a cougar. I’m now the third generation (on both sides) to come to BYU to continue my education. I’m privileged enough to be apart of the BYU swim team and compete at a collegiate level. I can’t help but think how amazing it is to be living a dream that I’ve worked so hard for, academically and athletically. I would be living a different life without the opportunity to go to school at the Y. BYU is part of who I am and always will be. Rah Rah Rah Rah Rah…GO COUGARS!

Moments CapturedI used to think I wanted to major in Photography. The classes I took in high school were amazing and so much fun. I love the free, creative juices that it brings and how images can be captured in so many unique ways. However, I decided that I didn’t want my creativity to be judged. A picture that I love may not be loved by others. I still like to take pictures and just capture happy moments through photography. It’s a hobby that I love and shows a little bit of who I am. There’s nothing more enjoyable than looking through old pictures and remembering the good times that those pictures captured. A picture tells true emotion and life.

People Watching

I love people watching. If it were a sport, I'd get at least 11 gold medals. BYU is a great place because it is filled with so many unique people that come from so many different places and cultures. I'll admit right now, up front. Mormons are weird and we all know it. We say weird things, we like going to Ikea on a date (happening Saturday!), we act crazy without being drunk, we are comfortable with meeting complete strangers in the library, etc. Anyways, being at college on the dating scene is very entertaining as an observer and of course the beneficiary. I love watching the lunch dates in the wilk or listening to relationship drama via recorder (*wink wink Lauren*). Probably the best thing about people watching is the interesting way that everyone interacts with each other. We're all unique and God made us that way for a reason. I love noticing someone and just thinking about how their life is and making up stories for them. If you have seen The Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey you'll know what I'm talking about. This is just one of the many reasons why I love college and it helps me destress from the crazy academic life I live.

P.S. I recently learned that BYU has frog-eye salad in the Grab n' Go line. Um, AMAZING! Obviously not as good as mom's, but close enough for my satisfaction.

Pityriasis Rosea

For those people that don't like to read about gross things, skip this post. So...I have this rash called pityriasis rosea, hot I know. I've been to the doctor about 4 times and the dermatologist once. No one really knew what it was at first, but it was basically concluded that it turned into pityriasis rosea. I looked up some stuff on Web MD. Here it is:

"Pityriasis rosea (say "pih-tih-RY-uh-sus ROH-zee-uh") is a common skin problem that causes a rash. Although it can occur at any age, it is seen most often in those between the ages of 10 and 35.

Pityriasis rosea is usually harmless. But it can cause serious problems in pregnant women.

The cause of pityriasis rosea is unknown. Unlike many other skin conditions, it is not an allergic reaction or caused by a fungus or bacteria. Some experts think it may be caused by a virus. But neither signs of a virus (such as its genetic material) nor symptoms of a viral infection (such as a fever) are found in everyone with pityriasis rosea.

The rash does not cause itching in 25% of people who have pityriasis rosea. For 50% of people, the itch is mild to moderate. And for 25% of people, the itch is severe.

The rash usually lasts 6 to 8 weeks, but it can last up to several months.

Exposing the rash to sunlight may make it go away more quickly."

So you see that last sentence up there. Yes, that means Miss Karalee Fuller gets to go tanning twice a week for two weeks. No this will not be a regular occurrence so calm down skin cancer phobia people. Therapeutic reasons only. Hopefully it helps! Oh, and the roommates get to join in on the fun too! :)

Portfolio

I'm creating a portfolio website type thing for my IP&T 287 class, which is essentially learning how to use technology in the classroom. Not the easiest thing for me in the world. Here's the link: https://sites.google.com/site/karaleefuller/

OJ

My secret love is orange juice. We've always been very kind to each other, but the college life really has benefitted in this relationship. Mom only liked the frozen concentrate kind when I was a kid. Little did I know that when I came to college that I would fall in love with the OJ from the carton kind. For some reason it tastes ten times better. Pulp and I get along quite well, but the carton (probably with its added sugars or something) is just pure bliss. Thank you OJ for rocking my world.

I am a Swimmer.

Junior Year

Sophomore Year

Freshman Year

I am a member of the Brigham Young University swim team. It feels really good to be able to say it. I just wanted to write about how much I love the sport. I started swimming when I was about 7 years old on a summer league team, like a lot of little kids do. I don't really know if I was any good or liked it at that point but I made it down the pool without drowning. I think mostly I enjoyed getting the ribbons (even if they were participation ribbions) and trophies at the end of each summer. Probably the added excuse to eat a candy bar was nice too. I remember my favorite candy was the sweet tart lolipop things. I don't even know if they make them anymore. Anyways, so that's where is all started...good ol Shrewsbury, Missouri. I moved to the house I really grew up in when I was ten years old. I think at that point my parents sat me down and asked me what activities/sports I wanted to do. My choices were swimming and soccer. Parkway Swim Club graciously accepted my skinny butt and refined my strokes three times a week. Soccer was in the fall, I believe, but conflicted with swimming from time to time. I remember going to soccer practice with wet hair at night and my coach calling me crazy. This worked out just fine until 8th grade when I had to commit to either swimming or soccer. I was getting better at swimming and was about to move up into a new group that practiced more often. I chose swimming. I never was that stellar at the sport, but for some reason I loved being in the water. I've never liked the feeling of sweat on my body. Ever. I still don't. The whole running thing in soccer wasn't my forte anyways with my asthmatic lungs. By the time I hit high school, however, I had moved up into the National group at Parkway--the highest you can go. I started morning workouts before school at 5 am, meaning I had to wake up at 4:15ish to get there on time. I don't know how Dad did it all those mornings when he drove me to practice. Luckily I got my liscence soon thereafter and could drive myself. I think at this point I loved swimming mostly becuase I was good at it. I was never an excellent student in school and it was nice to be able to be recognized for something that I was good at. I loved and still love the feeling of finishing a practice that I did well at or finishing a race and getting a best time. Yeah, it hurts but after you get done it's a great feeling of accomplishment. Anyways, so high school progressed and I was good. I wasn't Liz Smith status (Olympic Trial qualifier-teammate), but I was good enough to go to Junior Nationals in Florida one year and be idolized on the high school team. I loved it when the younger swimmer would look up to me for advice or ask me to watch their strokes. So then, my Junior year of high school I was state champ in the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. Probably my favorite high school memories were on the swim team and just having a blast swimming fast. Senior year I was told that if I got my Junior National cut that I would be able to walk on to the BYU swim team and possibly get a partial scholarship. It came down to pretty much the last meet of the season and I was a good .4 seconds off in my 100 breaststroke. For all you non-swimmers, that's almost a half a second which is a lot. Somehow I did it and went a 1:06.5 and was so happy, I cried. That was probably the best moment of my swimming career. I've never wanted anything so bad than to be on the BYU swim team and I did it! Sometimes I look into the mirror or at my BYU swim bag/clothes and think, wow I am one lucky girl! I am actually LIVING my dream and not a lot of people can say that. I am extremely blessed to be a collegiate athlete at the school I've wanted to go to my entire life. Sure, practice sometimes is killer but its worth it. Its worth it for that one moment in the season when I swim my best and hurt my worst and get out and say, That was fun! I love the feeling of diving into a pool and just flying. There's nothing else like it in the world. I don't know what I'm going to do in a year and a couple months when this is all over...maybe I'll be a yoga fanatic. :) So thank you BYU for making my dreams come true and my parents and coaches for pushing me to become the swimmer that I am today. (I know that was a little cheeseball, but I mean it.)

Oh, and P.S. the other thing I LOVE about swimming is that I can eat ice cream and no one will know ;)

Senior Year (High School)

Junior Year of High School

My feet have stayed the same size since then.

Eating my favorite lolipop!!

Back when I used to be good at backstroke.

The pool size has upgraded since then :)

"The Look"

So something sort of exciting happened today. I was told that I had to dress more professional like, aka more like a teacher. Just like how all those business majors have to dress in a tie when they go to class, I have to dress like a teacher. For some reason I'm not bummed about this, like some people might be. I no longer have the option on wearing sweat pants to school, but its good for me because I LOVE sweat pants way too much. (especially according to Harper) No, I don't have to wear dress pants or skirts or heels quite yet. I still get to wear blue jeans even though everyday isn't Friday. Apparently its a transition period to get us prepared for the official "teacher look" and I love it. I can't wait for the day when I actually have an excuse to go shopping for cute, nice clothes that I'll wear when I teach. But don't you worry, I'm want to teach more than just for the "look" per say. But that's a great added bonus because sometimes its just fun to dress up. Hello teaching world! Here I come! (slowly, but surely).

A Little Piece of Happiness

I just have to say how FUN this weekend was! It was just so good to be carefree about school because things haven't started to get to stressful yet, with the semester just starting. On Friday Harper and I went on a double date with our good friends Jess and Sean. Harper and I made yummy tacos together and then we met up with them to see the movie, How Do You Know. I wouldn't really recommend the movie as a must see, but it was pretty good. I got a few good laughs out of it. Then we had hot chocolate and just hung out with some people at my place. It was a good relaxing night and now Harper and I have officially gone to see a movie together! (I know, unusually late in our dating experience) Saturday, I had a recovery practice and then we went to a pancake breakfast that some of Harper's friends hosted. Later that day we went to the basketball game against Air Force, which was exciting to watch. Jimmer is always amazing and Emery tied the BYU steal record. We were lucky enough to take advantage of the Anderson's season tickets and sit on the 11th row. :) Later that night we went to a wedding reception at the Blue Lemon in Alpine and they had the most exciting thing ever...a photo booth!!! It was such a good idea! There's a table full of props that you pick from and then you go in the photo booth and take your pictures. It prints out two copies and you keep one and put the other one in a collaborative scrapbook and write a cute note next to it, like a guest book. As an avid scrapbooker I LOVED the idea and want it for my future reception. I recently decided that I love going to wedding receptions. I love looking at the beautiful couple and just the radiant glow that they share with everyone around them. Just by looking at them, you know that they're in love and can't wait to start the rest of their lives together. I love looking at all the beautiful wedding and engagement pictures and of course the slideshow with their cute baby pictures. I love all the get-up of the whole marriage process, but really its the newlywed face that makes it worth it to go celebrate with them. So cute! Anyways, today was fun as well and church was amazing as usual. We're starting the New Testament in Sunday School because of the new year upon us. Today we talked of our favorite stories of Jesus in the scriptures. I wasn't brave enough to share, so I'm going to share on here. Partially because I just finished the Book of Mormon, but I really like the story of how Jesus comes to the Americas and teaches the people, as told in 3rd Nephi. As I read it this last time, I really tried to feel what it was like to be those people and to experience the Savior teaching me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it that the Savior already teaches me, but through others. I know pretty close to how it must of felt because I've been taught by a lot of amazing teachers that teach with the Spirit, especially in General Conference. Christ has so much love for each of us. I am so grateful for the Spirit that testifies of those things to me as I am worthy and trying to be like Him.

The rest of my Sunday was great. I made Hawaiian Haystacks with Harper and watched Hitch, an all time favorite movie. We went to a ward desert party and played Dance Central with the roomies. I highly recommend the game!! It is absolutely AMAZING and so fun! Pretty soon I'll be dancing like a black person, just you wait! haha

I love these girlies!!! :)

Winter Break

Sorry, but here's me catching up on winter break. It was a blast! I was able to go home for about a week and spend time with my family. Sometimes it's really hard being so far away from them, but it makes it even better when I do see them. I'm so grateful to have them in my life and to have their support with all of my choices in life. We did a lot of fun things like ice skating (with Maggie too!), Devin and Rachael's choir concert, make gingerbread houses, play with Cohen, go out to dinner at my favorite place, El Nopal, go see my all time favorite movie right now-Tangled, and hang out at the cabin. It was perfect. I love the little traditions that we do every year that bring out the spirit of Christmas. We spend a lot of good time together, of course, but one of my favorite traditions is acting out the nativity. The Fullers really get into it. haha. Sadie, our loyal dog, was baby Jesus and cooperated quite well. Mom and Dad were of course Mary and Joseph with Devin has a shepherd, Sterling as a sheep, Grandma as the angel, Rachael and I as wise "women", and Papa as the narrator. Another fun tradition that I love is writing funny names on the T0/From tags on presents. The Fullers have a creative side too. The funny name always (usually) has to do with whatever is in the present. Sometimes it can be quite the stretch, but fun nonetheless. For example, Jazelle from Enchanted, got me scrap booking stuff because she likes to write notes. Sully from Monsters Inc got us a Pixar mini movies DVD that he was in. All in all it was a wonderful Christmas and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The second part of my break was a lot different from the first. I went to San Diego for Christmas training with the BYU swim team. It's always quite the adventure for some reason to fly alone. My flight was delayed an hour and a half and I got to San Diego at 1am in time for me to wake up at 6 for my first practice of the week. Oh, but there was a time change so really it felt like 3am when I got there. It was great... But surprisingly enough it was a pleasant week. It was a little bit colder than expected, but definitely not as bad as Utah or Missouri, who both had their fair share of snow and winter temperatures. For those who don't know what "Christmas Training" entails, here's a brief summary. We have two practices everyday. One in the morning and one in the afternoon, with weights/running on Tuesday/Thursday. It wasn't super early in the morning, only 8 to 10 so we were able to get some sun and escaped the pastiness of living in Utah for a little while. Our second practice was from 5 to 7, which was pretty much dark the whole time. A unique experience if you ever get the chance to swim at night. Sometimes we could even see stars through the steam coming off the pool. The worst part besides the ridiculously sore muscles was getting out of the warm pool into the freezing cold air with just a swimsuit on. There were plenty of fast moving feet towards and bags and sprints to the locker room. We did get some fun stuff in during the day, when we weren't recovering from practice. On that Wednesday we got to swim in the rain, which is a really funny feeling. I can't even describe it. A few of us were able to go to the San Diego temple which was about 5 minutes from our hotel, which was a really neat experience. That building is GORGEOUS! On New Years we were able to have practice a little early so we could go out and have a fun night. We went to BJ's which is a pizza/pasta/sandwich place that is famous for their pazookies--a giant cookie with ice cream on top. It was sooo good! My mouth is salivating just thinking about it. We had four different sections of different cookie flavors: oreo, white chocolate macadamian nut, peanut butter, and chocolate chunk. Ahhh, it was heaven!! I couldn't leave the oreo part though. It was just too good. I'm sure the other sections didn't even compare. The swimming part of the week went pretty well on my part and I'm glad I survived and my ankle didn't give out. The way home was even fun too, despite the 11 hour drive back to Provo. My favorite part was when Daniel got out his guitar and we all sang songs together. I know, cute right? We all took turns driving the 12 passenger van, including me and made it all in one piece despite some snow on the roads. It was quite the adventurous break, overall, and I loved it!

Becoming

I just heard this quote and I really like it so I decided to share. Its by Richard G. Scott and reads, "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become." I think that it is a great thing to think about, especially with the new year upon us. I really want to strive to be the person that people look up to and that my Heavenly Father would be proud of. I have no reason to complain about anything in my life because I am so blessed daily, even in such the simplest ways. Recently I got to talk to spend some time with Chelsey and it was soo good just to talk about anything and everything. I love that I can be myself around her and be totally comfortable and know that she cares about me and what I have to say. Its so wonderful that I am blessed with friends and family that love and care for me. I know that they were put on this earth to help me and I hope that I can help them in return.

I'm excited for this new year and the chance I have to be in the Elementary Education program. I know that this is what I need to be studying and I can't wait to be able to influence so many young lives. President David O McKay said, "Teaching is the noblest profession in the world." I know my life will not be filled with rainbows and gumdrops with a teacher's salary, but I know that I will feel good about the impact I will have on younger generations. I hope that I can become a great teacher.