[BYU: A.K.A. When I Met Bryan and Weston]

[BYU: A.K.A. When I Met Bryan and Weston]

   10:52 AM       Laura

---

"Occasionally I get the feeling that they don't like me... but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or what.  But I mean.. I've lived that way all my life.  Its either been horrible rumors about me... or its been people making fun of me... or just ignoring me for the fun of it.  Yeah I've had some friends before... but this is the first time I feel like totally part of the group... you know what I mean... I actually have a "group" of friends.  " - Link

As I mentioned in my High School post, I was taking several classes at BYU simultaneously with my Senior year in high school, A CS class, a Physics Class, and a Calc Class. I would take a bus from Orem High every morning and get on campus around 11 am. Classes were at 1, 3 and 5. One of the classes I think was on tuesday/thursday... I don't remember all that well. Physics was where I met Grant, and Calc was where Cory came from... (But THAT story will come later).


I was spending LOTS AND LOTS of money in the Cougar Eat.. the University Lunch room as it was, for which my parents were extremely displeased.  They bought me a meal plan at the Morris Center, which was the cafeteria for one of the Dorm Sets at BYU. I remember the night that this happened, exiting the Talmage Center and looking up the walkway to where I could see the bell tower, and going... "Do I really want to go all the way up there to eat?"

"So I was saying, BYU came with its hardships... including my passion for spending the money on my signature card in the cougar eat. My parents decided to get me a meal plan. So I started eating at the morris center by DT. My 4th time eating dinner there... was halloween. Here I was dressed up in a big purple poofy dress, and my hair is in curls... and I see someone from my physics class, and I sat with him... and then 'everyone else"came. Because I sat with him, my life has been changed. I met several people that night, one or two especially that have made a definate difference in the way that I view people, and interact with them." - Laura Wilkinson - Dec 15, 2005. 

The night of Halloween fell on one of the days I had Calc.  A Wednesday I think. I was dressed up... pretty flamboyantly. I'm pretty sure I won't allow myself to look like this again.  Lol.  I wandered up to the Morris Center again.

I got there, checked in, and went and got my food.  While looking for a place to sit, (I usually sat alone) I was flagged down by someone who was in my physics class, so I sat down across the table from him, expectantly nervous about being invited to join someone.  Shortly there after, a whole bunch of people came to join me.

Sitting next to me was a tall person who was dressed up like Ron Weasley, and one the other side of him was a girl dressed up as Hermione.  Across the table sat someone who was a mad scientist, and next to him sat a Jedi.

The next conversation went as follows:

Bryan: (Ron) Hey, Grant, we're going to sit with you.
*everyone sits down*
*Laura is bewildered*
"Me to bryan: oh... you drink soy milk?
Bryan:  somedays... today is special.  Weston, want some?
Weston: (Jedi) no.. well wait let me see
Bryan:  Daniel, can I borrow a napkin? 
Daniel:(Mad scientist) okay, but you have to give it back.
Something else took place here: to the effect that bryan needs to be more assertive.
Bryan on cell phone:  Well I'm eating in the morris center with allison, weston, ben, mystery girl, daniel..... etc
Allison: well, who is this mystery girl?"


I'm pretty sure that Bryan was on the phone with Joey.  I proceeded to introduce myself very cautiously, but found myself loosening up as the conversation went on.  At one point, I mentioned that I was a Computer Science Major, to which Weston said: "wow! a real live female computer science major, I didn't know they existed" 

Next morning, I was back on campus, and decided to go to the morris center for lunch before my physics class.  It was Devotional that day, so the cafeteria was closed for an extra hour.  I fell asleep on the couch.  When I woke up, Bryan and Allison were standing in front of me in line for the cafeteria, so, coincidence number 1.

After lunch, I went to physics.  As I left, I took an alternate route to get to where I was going, and literally ran into Bryan, which was random enough.  He was walking with someone named Joey.  They both invited me to the Career Fair in the Wilkinson center.  Honestly, I thought  Joey was one of the more stuck up and cocky people I had ever met. He liked to make fun of people. I also thought he hated my guts, which was funny, because he thought the same thing about me.  Part way through the semester, I remember him saying,"Laura, you realize you're one of my closest friends and I would jump in front of a bus for you."  We became good friends  after that :)

Bryan went to class after the career fair, and I was left to wander, so I went to my usual spot to sit.

<- Right here....  Though this picture was taken several years later, this was my usual spot.   Shortly after, when classes were changing, Bryan came up right behind me.  That was where his class was.  Coincidence #2.  This started a routine that was kept through out those 2 months.  I'd hook up with them when I'd get on campus. We'd hang out for lunch, and we'd run to class, and meet back up under the umbrellas in the Family building, then we'd all go to class again, meet up outside at my normal place to sit, and then I'd go to my math class.   Then hook back up with them at DT.   Experiences go like this:


"Chess is the stupidest game in the world.  I played bryan today, and he beat me... but see, here's the funny thing.  We played last night, and he beat me, and he only lost one pawn.  He emailed the moves to himself, and he said that this was the best game of chess he'd ever played.   Well, then we played checkers, and that didn't go well either."





"Ok... so I was in the Morris Center the other day, and I fell asleep waiting for Bryan and Weston to come and eat with me... the next thing I know is there is water on my face. What I got from Bryan and Weston was that they walked in, saw me, looked at each other, saw the drinking fountain, looked at each other, and then went and got some water to put on my head."


I got my Facebook in November of '05.  This was back when it was still just for college students.  Bryan coerced me into getting it.  I also got my current Gmail from him too.

Also,  I feel I should mention Christer.  He was Joey's roommate. We didn't hang out as much as Bryan and I did, but I have lots of fond memories of him too.

One of the things we used to do, was gather as a group, and listen to Joey play the piano.

I have other memories, like..  playing video games during visiting hours, or Bryan walking me to the bus stop every night.  I remember the day I told Bryan that I liked him:

Laura: I want to tell you something.
Bryan: ok.
Laura: I like...
Bryan: To make cookies?
Laura *Frustrated* No, I want to tell you that...
Bryan: that you want to buy me food!
Laura: You aren't making this easy....

 There were days where I would have used up my meal plan quota for the week, and had to bring my lunch, and the group would go into the buffet, and get everything they thought they'd need, and exit the cafeteria just to eat with me.  Bryan and  I went on a texting spree, and WITHOUT a texting plan, and texted each other 600 messages over a week period.  Yeah, our parents were thrilled with us. I started doing journals. There would be instant messenger convos on AIM,where I thought I was talking to Weston, about, well, Bryan, when it was actually Bryan. There were hours and hours and pages and pages of IM conversations between these people and I.

I guess this part was a turning point.  I was pulled out of my bubble. I learned so much from these people.  They put up with my weirdness.  My lack of social cues.  I learned (kind of) what to say, and what not to say.   How to act around other people, and how to be myself.

Which lasted up until they left on their mission. Bryan to Thailand, Weston to North Carolina, Joey to Tennessee, and Christer to England.  However, if I were to tell anyone where my 'life' started, it was here. I had more life than  I ever had in my life.