Fall Highlights

So I'm kinda bad at posting very much so I decided to post a blog including all the highlights of this semester in school. I know, it's not over yet, but here's just a recap of what's happened so far...



We went to a rodeo a few weeks into the semester. My roommate's brother does a bunch of rodeos so we all went to see. We were the only two that dressed up so we took a picture. It was a lot of fun. We went to Pocatello for the night and had a fun girl's night out.





We carved pumpkins for FHE the Monday before Halloween. It was a lot of fun. Me and Holly carved this one. I found a picture of it on the computer so I drew it and Holly carved it. While she did that, I collected all the pumpkin seeds and baked them in the oven. I tried my first baked pumpkin seeds this semester and really loved them. Our pumpkin won the first prize of all the other pumpkins. I thought we did a pretty good job.


I got to go to Kansas City, Missouri for a journalism conference. We went to meetings all day long and then we'd hang out and go out to dinner or site see. It was fun. Friday night we went to Independence and Liberty Jail. It was really cool. I love touring the church history sites. It helps bring it all to life. I wish we could have seen the temple site, but we didn't have enough time. That night, we also went to a Brazilian restaurant. It was really good. It was like the one in Utah. It was really good. But when we got the reciept to pay the bill, we were really surprised to find that it was $60 a plate! Crazy! And there were 5 of us. So it ended costing around $300.




While I was
in Kansas City, my soccer team won the championships. I was really excited for them but sad that I couldn't be there with them. But I should be getting a t-shirt saying that we are the champions. Some of us have played up here at BYU-Idaho for the past 3 years. So we were excited to finally win the championship. Most of the players are from Rupert.


I asked David to the Preference Dance. He's a really good dancer so he helped teach me a lot of the dances. I borrowed my friend's dress. It was really cute but she is a little taller than me so I had to wear 3-4 inch heels. I did pretty good dancing but my feet hurt really after half an hour of nonstop dancing my feet hurt really bad. This picture is of my neighbor, Elle and her date and me and Dave. The dance was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. Next weekend... I'm going to Utah to meet his family. I'm kinda scared... I hope they like me. But it'll be fun. If they're anything like David, I know I'll really like them.

Meet Dave

So I've been terrible at blogging lately. School and work have taken up a good part of my time. But I love it. My classes are all communication and English classes so I feel like I'm just playing the whole time. I love it. And my job at the Scroll is awesome as well. I work so much there but love every minute of it.

But now to the real reason why life is so busy lately: I have a boyfriend. His name is David Landeen and he really is amazing. He is from West Jordan, Utah. He served his mission in Porto Rico and got back last January. He is a freshman studying... something. He's not sure but is currently looking into Broadcasting.

We met the second day of the semester and have hung out every day together except for 3 days this semester, 2 of which because he went home during conference weekend. We became instant friends from the first night we met. I guess kinda liked me from that first week while I was rather oblivious to the whole thing until one of my friends asked what I thought about him. I told her 'we're just friends... but I guess it could lead up to it.' He'd become one of my best friends and it didn't seem like a bad thing if it went a little further. I decided if the opportunity came, and if he was willing, I wouldn't let it pass me by.

Well, I started writing movie reviews for the Scroll so we decided to have movie nights each week. One night after watching a movie we went for a walk and had the best time together. We were laughing and joking and then he held my hand. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. :-) And we've just been dating since.

The End.

P.S. He's coming to the family b-day party on the 25th to hang out for the weekend. I can't wait to see you all in a few weeks!

It's what I do

This is me at one of my summer jobs, the advising center. We're in between semesters so it hasn't been very busy. Sometimes I work here for 9 hours and talk to only 1-5 people. So I find ways to keep myself busy...

I've started a collection of books I want to read this summer. Right now I'm reading "The Miracle of Forgiveness." Next I'll read "The Animal Farm" and "Breaking Dawn."
This is my drawer with all my essentials. I have my lunch, peanut butter and honey sandwich, crackers and water as a snack, and for dessert I have brownies. I also have an 8 lb weight to balance out the snacks I eat all day.

And finally, on really long and boring days, I sit down and take a lil nap. This is my favorite chair in the office. Sometimes I put a book in my lap and face my head the other way so that I look like I'm actually reading. Lately, since it's been so laid back, I just get as comfortable as I can. Doesn't my job look so hard???

What a workout!

I'm just posting a few of my favorite stories that I've done. This one was during the Winter 2008 semester. One week, the sports section wrote all about the the workouts available at BYU-Idaho. I got to do a column so I chose this class, it looked hard but I wanted to look tough so I did it. I went to the class and was regretting it within 15 minutes of being in it. But I stuck to it and kept up with the instructor. I was so sore afterwards but felt it was worth it for a good story. Then I found out that there was supposed to be a photographer there who had planned on going to the class on Thursday instead of Tuesday. So I got to do it again. It was hard but I did my best to keep up so the photographer could have some good photographs of me... I'll tell you one thing, I now know what paparazzi feels like. The photographer took so many pictures and sometimes got so close. Everyone just kept staring, probably thinking "Why is she so important?" It was so weird. But I had a lot of fun and enjoyed writing the article. It was featured in the Scroll, the school newspaper, on the whole page with 3 pictures of me. I only found one online though.


Reporter feels the burn with cardio strength training

Chanae Wilson, a junior studying English, exercises her legs and arms while particpating in the Cardio-Strength Training class offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Hart 234.

The greatest things in life are the ones that take the most effort in order to obtain. But, I believe it all depends on one’s priorities. Some people are dedicated to developing their musical talents, others are committed to “bringing home the bacon” and some are devoted to developing the perfect body build. I can honestly say without any remorse that I do not belong to the latter.

I recently spoke to Bradley Highsmith, a freshman studying business management, who has been working on obtaining an eight pack in the last few weeks. I always thought would be cool to have washboard abs, but the thought of that painful torture I would have to put myself through eliminated all desire.

I am not saying that I am a couch potato, watching movies all day and eating banana splits. That is reserved for only a few times per week. I love working out. I love playing soccer, going for a swim and feeling the rush after a good workout, but I just don’t rigorously exercise in the gym like many others.

So when I went to the Cardio-Strength Training class last Tuesday, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I decided to go to this class because it sounded like a challenge. Something that would get my heart racing and help me get out of this exercise hibernation I have enjoyed a little too much this winter.

The class started out easy enough. We did a few stretches and I was feeling good about this. Then we started the exercise routine and I was ready to call it quits. The instructor had us doing vigorous stepping exercises, lifting weights and sprinting all within the first fifteen minutes. We also did killer abs exercises that left me sprawled out on the floor gasping for air when we were done.

The instructor would make us count how much we’d done out loud. If we didn’t count loud enough, she’d make us do it again. Every time the instructor would make us repeat an exercise, I’d think of how similar she was to the scene in Miracle when Kurt Russell would blow his whistle and yell, “Again!” much to the dismay of his hockey team. I always hated that part in the movie and I hated it more after experiencing a torture similar to theirs.

But I didn’t give up. I knew that if I gave up, I’d regret my failure in the long run. I decided that I had made a commitment to go to this class and I was going to follow through on that commitment — no matter the consequences.

Well, I am proud to say that I lasted up to the very end. I accomplished my goal. And though I wince at the pain I receive at every movement I’ve made since, I am glad that I did not give up on my goal.

A different perspective on a man’s pregnancy

This is the controversial article I wrote. A very unhappy student wrote a two page letter to my editor, the newspaper advisor, ant President Clark, stating that by printing this article, we were promoting lesbians, that I should have called this man a woman because that is what he is in Heavenly Father's eyes, and that my editor and I should be fired. It was kinda scary to think that I had made someone so angry by writing about this strange phenomon. Needless to say, this article was politically correct. It was nonbiased and this man is legally a man, if I had said he was a girl, I could actually be sued by him. :-s Scary, huh? So here it is: one of those weird phenomons that you'd never dream of hearing about.

Thomas Beatie, born a female, went through a sex change in which he had chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy. He and his wife, Nancy, decided to have a child together.

Due to severe endometriosis – extreme pelvic pain – Nancy had to undergo a hysterectomy, which is a surgical removal of the uterus through the abdominal wall or vagina, eliminating any chance of bearing children.

Beatie, who still has his female reproductive organs, received a sperm implant and is now about five months pregnant. He and his wife are expecting their baby girl in July, according to http://www.advocate.com/.

This occurrence has brought a lot of positive and negative remarks among neighbors and the community. Some do not believe that he really is pregnant, and Beatie said that his in-laws did not even know he underwent a sex change, according to http://www.advocate.com/.

Many people seem to question the moral issues of a transgender man having a baby.

“All people are born male or female genetically. This person may have had a sex change and appears to be male but in the eternal sense, [they are] still a female,” said Professor Steve Dennis of the Home and Family Department.

Beatie wrote about his thoughts and experiences on www.advocate.com of being a pregnant father.

“I am stable and confident being the man that I am. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child – I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family,” according to http://www.advocate.com/.

Beatie appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the pregnancy. On the show, the couple called their child a “miracle baby.” Dr. Kimberly James, Beatie’s doctor, said, “This baby’s totally healthy. I consider it an average pregnancy,” according to http://www.oprah.com/.

Whether or not there will be more occurrences like this in the future is uncertain. Some people don’t care whether or not it happens; they just don’t want to know.

“It’s their life, they can do what they want about it, but they don’t need to publicize it so the rest of us have to know about it,” said Kyle Hunt, a sophomore studying general education.

There are many scientific studies that are in progress, however, that may enhance medical technology, producing science experiences that have never been thought possible, such as a pregnant man.

Mystery game challenges students to get a clue

I remember dressing up in my dad’s trench coat, his detective hat, some sunglasses and looking for my sister’s missing teddy bear — which I had strategically placed underneath my bed.
I’d spend hours pretending I was Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew. I could solve any mystery if I just had a good magnifying glass.

Considering my previous experience, I decided the campus game, Riddled, should be no problem. The BYU-Idaho Activities Committee put on Riddled, which is similar to the board game and movie Clue.

I walked into the room thinking there would be very little competition, but I found about 40-50 women and men waiting to try their hand at a little mystery.
We had to go around campus, looking for the suspects who may have killed Peter Little. I found all of the suspects, except for Steve Urnsaton who seemed to be conveniently missing when I tried looking for him.

There was, however, a note on the mirrors of Tomassito’s stating that Urnsaton took an unexpected lunch break the afternoon that Little was found dead.

I also found out that Urnsaton was currently dating Little’s ex-girlfriend, Molly Spenzet. She did not seem to care much for him, just that he spent a great deal of money on her.

When I showed up at the prearranged final destination, I was quite sure I knew who had killed Little. I wasn’t sure what he killed him with, so I guessed that Urnsaton had killed Little because he was jealous that Spenzet still had feelings for Little. I also knew Urnsaton hated waking up to Little’s alarm tone of “Sexy Back.” So Urnsaton killed Little with the alarm clock.

Much to my disappointment, I did not win. In fact, surprisingly enough, I was way off. It was the janitor, Mr. Kleenup, in the Taylor Quad, with a brick. Who would have thought of the janitor?
But in Kleenup’s own words, he was a little short on cash, so he “just decided to have a nice conversation with Little and a brick.”

In the end, I was quite disappointed with my detective skills. The Riddled game definitely threw me for a loop. I thoroughly enjoyed testing out my investigation skills and trying to solve a real murder mystery — or as real as you could get at BYU-I.

To see more articles, you can look up www.byui.edu/scroll or http://icomm.byui.net/staff/chanae-wilson/.

Broken Hearts

Yesterday, I had one of the most random experiences. I was walking to work when a guy I had never met before stopped me and handed me 7 long stemmed pink roses. He seemed to have a speech impediment so I didn't understand what he wanted me to do with them at first. I asked if he wanted me to take them someplace. He said yes, just take them away from him and give them away to someone who deserves them or keep them yourself. I was shocked. These were beautiful roses... people don't just give them away off the street... or do they??? He said that was really what he wanted me to do and I thanked him for the beautiful gift.

It took me a while to come to the conclusion that these roses were probably meant for someone else, which, if rejected, could be the reason why he wanted to get rid of them so fast. My heart went out to this poor gentleman who seemed to have enough on his plate already, with his physical ailments. It reminded me of my own past experiences with broken hearts.

Words can't even describe the way it feels to have your heart ripped in two. Many people have tried to write songs, poems, even books about the pain and anguish. But to truly understand a heartache, one must experience it first handedly.

It's not uncommon, either. A heart is crushed into pieces each day. I had seen hearts crushed on movies and read books about it, but I prayed that this was one experience I would never have to become acquainted with. Well life throws you for a loop sometimes and though you don't think you need to go through something, someone else does.

Well, no details are needed about my experience except that it surely did hurt. The songs and movies I watched about heartache suddenly made more sense. I could relate to the feelings of loss and aching pain they express. I cried each day for a week and had utterly no desire to date, let alone talk to any guy for months. It was so hard. I knew why I had no desire to feel that pain. I thought I'd never wake up from the endless nightmare I was going through.

But there is hope through the night that the sun will soon rise; with every tunnel, an exit will soon come in sight. One day I woke up, after months and months of pleading, and it didn't hurt. I didn't want to throw water balloons at all the couples I walked past on campus. (I'd never literally do it, of course, but the thought would sometimes bring a smile to my face as I pictured their surprised faces.) ;-)

I'm dating again and have met some wonderful people because of it. It's been a lot of fun and maybe someday, an amazing guy will buy some roses with thoughts of me. Until then, I'll have to wait for the next random guy to give me roses. ;-) They sure do brighten my apartment!