Friends and Babes

Ange and I went out tonight with my mission trainer and his wife. My trainer is one of the few people I feel is a good friend of mine. We can communicate really well, something I don't feel like I can do with too many folks. Anyway, we had Mia with us and I thought about telling my trainer and his wife how amazing the experience was to have a child. I honestly do feel that way and am still awed by the memory of Mia's birth. But, in this situation, with these folks, I didn't feel like I wanted to say anything like that. So, the issue lies in this:

On one hand, is it annoying or lame to express one's testimony, so to speak, of the miracle of birth, as it may be construed as "you should have kids now!"?

The other side is that I feel like it is a reassurance, saying those things, of the amazing experience of having a child. I feel like I'm saying just that, "it's amazing." Not necessarily "I recommend it."

I think that I kind of felt myself leaning into saying "it's amazing" in a "you should have kids!" kind of way, so I stopped. Truth is, I do think they should have kids, when they want and feel ready, and no sooner. I think I made the right move.

My Seinfeld moment.

Last day of School, 1st Semester

Today was the last day of my 1st semester of Grad school at the University of Utah. After my time at BYU, I have some distinct impressions of the differences in my education experience. 

1) The U is a much more relaxed, open environment for learning.

2) The U has been much more responsive to student feedback than BYU. Teachers pay attention to feedback about difficulty of exams and take interest in the abilities of students to successfully complete the tasks they require.

3) The educational quality I received was definitely better a BYU, where I feel I got a more unbiased education, with the exception of a few religion classes and one psychology class. The U has proven that there is a definite agenda in my school. If not in the instructional material, in the opinions of the student body themselves. I have all but given up on getting to know two sides of an argument in Urban Planning. BYU almost never failed to provide a highly critical environment of the different arguments presented.

4) The teachers at the U almost all have a day job. They relate their teaching directly from their experiences in working for Salt Lake City, federal agencies, or corporate entities. It makes learning a lot more interesting and applicable. 

5) Community involvement is often required as part of course requirements at the U. Another very good thing.

6) BYU often did a great job of relating many subjects to religion, bridging the gap between academic learning and spiritual growth. Those moments are prized moments in my education.

Now, if there was only a school that was a mix of these things.