“Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation God, and for his arm to be revealed.” Doctrine and Covenants 123:17
Last week a few of my friends and I took a trip up to Idaho to do some hiking and camping. Here are some highlights.
The "Blue Hole" in Rigby, ID. Best rope swing around. This is me halfway through a backflip.
The Darby Wind Caves, a must see if you are ever near Driggs, ID. Its a really neat cave with a waterfall coming out of it. Its only 5 miles round trip, pretty accessible for just about anyone.
Inside the cave (from left to right): Jerika Terry, Philip Stewart (not sure why his sunglasses are on, there wasn't an ounce of light), Jarom Bridges, and Nate Llewellyn.
Me and Becca Pike on our way out of the cave, at the mouth of the waterfall (it is a spring that comes out at the mouth of the cave).
Someone got this candid shot of Becca and I eating lunch at the base of the waterfall.
We visited Jackson for an evening.
Our campsite. The highlight (for me, others may have their own opinion) was reading "The Cremation of Sam McGee".
Saturday morning we woke up to blue skies, but they didn't last long. Just as we finished cooking breakfast a dark thunderstorm rolled in. Within minutes lightning was cracking overhead (directly overhead once, which got our hearts beating) and the rain was pouring. So, we quickly threw everything into cars, except breakfast, which ended up in the bear box. So we took turns putting our breakfast burritos together under the tarp, then getting in the cars to eat.
Due to the inclement weather, we decided to bag our Table Rock hike. We went west and found a great hike to a bridge in the middle of nowhere. In this picture you can see the storm we escaped, and the beautiful alternative we enjoyed.
I know there are a lot of these, but it was really incredibly beautiful.
After the hike to the bridge, we had some milkshakes at one of my favorite places, the Frostop, in Ashton.
That evening we headed back to Rexburg and showered and relaxed. Some of our company had never been to Rexburg, so we decided to treat them to the well known "Taco Truck", which has been upgraded to a bus since I left Idaho.
Sunday we attended a student ward on BYU-Idaho's campus. As we were about to go we decided we needed to grab a bite to eat first, and it turned into some kind of tailgate party. We had some strange looks but it was fun.
Two months ago I started studying a stack of books six cubits and a span high. Each morning I would grab my backpack and drive to the Tanner building on the BYU campus. I would climb the stairs to my locker on the third floor and enter the combination. And there they were. In total there were 12 books. One Princeton Review, one Kaplan, one Offical GMAT Guide, one Official GMAT Quantitative Review, and eight Manhattan GMAT books. On a typical day I would take 2-3 books with me and find a quiet study room down the hall.
I'd spend anywhere from 3 to 6 hours reading about tips and strategies, doing practice problems, and memorizing important information such as prime numbers and standard triangles (I told you it was important information).
The day I knew the studying had started to sink in I was at a ward activity. We had a picture scavenger hunt, and each team received a certain number of points based on the difficulty of the pictures. When our team got back I heard someone say we had 121 points. I immediately thought "the prime factors of 121 are 7, 3, 2, and 5".
On Wednesday night I would attend class from 5-9, and again Saturday morning from 8am-noon. All in all I spent about 200 hours studying for this 4 hour test. I downloaded a GMAT app on my phone and would do practice problems in my head when I had a few minutes of waiting. As the test approached, I began preparing in other ways for the test. I knew I was in a habit of eating lunch around noon each day, but my test was from 10-2 so I wouldn't be able to eat lunch. Not wanting to be hungry during the test, I started eating a later breakfast and not eating lunch until after 2 so my body was used to it. I took 10 practice tests, and most of them between 10 and 2, so I could simulate the actual test as much as possible. I visited the testing center, twice. I wanted to be as familiar with it as I could so I felt comfortable on the day of the test. I met the nice lady that would check me in and had a good conversation with her. I bought blueberries and almonds for snacks during the test. I even asked a friend to give me a massage the night before to help me relax.
The night before the test I didn't sleep all that much. But thankfully, I had slept well the few nights before. I got up around 6:00 and showered and read the scriptures. Then I realized I was exhausted and laid back down for about 30 minutes. Around 7:30 I got up and ate eggs and toast for breakfast, then spent some time doing practice problems and reviewing flash cards. At 9am I went out to my car to find two notes and a Snickers on my windshield from some friends, then headed off to Draper to the testing center. As I drove, I thought about all the friends and family who had been praying for me. I thought about all that I had done to prepare. I had done everything I could think of. I said a prayer and explained that I had done all I could, and that I was leaving the rest up to the Lord. When I first sat down my mind was a little slow and groggy. But instead of getting more tired as the test wore on, surprisingly, I felt more and more energized.
There is a moment at the end of the GMAT when you are asked if you want to report your scores or not. If you say yes, the score is on your permanent record. If you say no, then it is as if you were never there. I wasn't even slightly tempted by that option. I hit "Report Score" and braced myself.
710.
I couldn't believe it. I mean, I could, but I couldn't. I knew it was possible. But it was the highest score I had ever gotten, even out of all 10 practice tests. I realize it isn't really that exceptional of a score. It is decent, but nothing to make a big deal about. But for me it was more than a score. It represented more than my best effort. I knew I hadn't done it by myself. It was a witness to me that God does hear and answer our prayers. It was a confirmation that anything is possible with hard work, sacrifice, and the blessings of heaven. I knew going into it that I might fail. Failure is a normal part of life. But, as Theodore Roosevelt observed,“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I have to say that this has been a most unique and incredible experience. In sum, it is a perfect example of the scripture I keep at the top of my blog, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation God, and for his arm to be revealed.” Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 Thanks for reading. Now go out and conquer the world. You can do it. If you don't believe me, just ask my friend Jessica:
