A Brigham Young University Student Journal
A child tugs on her mom’s pant leg. “MomomomMOMOM!” she yells, begging for attention. “Just hang on, I’m on the phone!” the mother pleads, attempting to finish her conversation. How often have we seen this scene play out in various ways? I remember being that […]
Ice cream is a beloved treat all across the world. Nowadays, it seems that most ice cream shops are in a buffet set up, either where you make it yourself or the store puts it together for you. I absolutely love these places because I […]
The bleeps and the bloops. The colors and the high scores. The defeated growls and the triumphant cheers. There is so much to take in when you walk into a classic arcade, and it just makes you want to get started! With the big trend of nostalgia and all of the 80s paraphernalia that’s so popular right now, getting in touch with the games that entertained a generation is a great way to ride that nostalgia wave.
The first thing that you realize when you walk into the Nickel Mania Arcade is how many machines there are. We couldn’t count the exact number of games, but dozens of little heroes battled little monsters along the walls. My wife and I bee-lined for the classic arcade games. We started pouring our coins in the likes of Joust, Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Rampage, and Centipede. As we competed with each other for the highest scores, we soon started to lose track of time. It was like we had fallen into a weird time loop filled with digital golden coins. It truly was a perfect date.
The arcade receives a standing ovation from my family. It is a great place to spend some time either reminiscing about your days of youth or thinking about how far video games have come.
BY: JOSHUA HANSEN
Alright y’all, I’m about to share my favorite food secret: Texas Sheet Cake. Being from Texas I feel it is a must to know how to make, and since being in college it has been my go-to for most events. It’s perfect for a party, […]
The difficulties of parenting surprise even the best of moms and dads. We begin our parenting life staring into the eyes of our little one, believing that we know the journey that lies ahead. We will teach them all that matters to us, and they […]
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about family traditions lately, and one that has had a lasting impact on my life keeps coming to my mind. I am the oldest of four girls and have always heard my mom say the exact same thing to each of us when we left the house—from the first day of kindergarten to the last day of high school, and even now when I come home over break.
Mom: Have a great day, choose the right, and remember . . .?
Kids: I am a child of God, you love me, and I can pray anytime, anywhere, always!
Even when my sisters and I were on different school schedules I could hear one of them reciting it while walking out the door, and then fifteen minutes later I would hear another say it as she left for the day. It got to the point where I could say it in under two seconds if I was really running late somewhere. If it was for a drive up to school, a trip to the mall with friends, or even a date, I could hear my mother calling out, somewhere in the house, her sweet little line any time I EVER walked out the door and into the real world.
Something that I have loved about this is that it didn’t cost any time or money, but she was still able to create a tradition and a lasting memory that I plan to carry over into my own family someday. I can still remember some of those hard days at school where something had gone wrong and I was ready to throw in the towel or classmates were pressuring me to do something I knew I shouldn’t or even something silly like the fact that I didn’t get asked to the dance by my crush; in the moments that mattered the most, I could hear my mother’s voice reminding me to have a great day, to choose the right, that I am a child of God, that she loves me, and that I can pray anytime, anywhere, always.
Thanks mom.
BY CARLY CALLISTER
Everyone has a tradition, and every society has traditions. Sometimes they line up with each other, creating a hodge podge of creative ideas, unique perspectives, and stories you can tell over and over, like March Madness! I have been curious about the thousands of different […]
What is it that makes the world go around? What is the main driving force behind the things that people do? For me, the answer is my family. My family is the most important thing in my life, and I love them. One of the […]
Emergency Preparedness: Why it’s Important, and How to Begin Assembling Your Own 72-Hour Kit
While I was in Brazil serving an LDS mission, I spent four and a half months in an area called Manaíra. In this city, there was a slum built right along the bank of a river. Toward the end of my time there, the area got a lot of rainfall, as is common in Brazil, and the river flooded its banks. Dozens of homes, if not more, were filled up to waist-level with water from the dirty river. Although such extreme flooding was fairly rare, it was common enough that the community was not surprised by it. I, however, was horrified at the conditions; I wondered why people still lived there when they knew there was a risk of disasters like this flood. But sadly, many of those people had lived there all their lives and were without means to move. They simply had to find friends or relatives nearby with whom they could stay for a couple of days until things cleared up, and then move back in. I remember feeling sorry that there wasn’t much I could do to help at the time. It was only a few days ago when I had a conversation about emergency preparedness that I realized how much of a difference a 72-hour kit could have made for the people I knew in Brazil—and not only them, but how much of a difference it can make for me even now.
A 72-hour kit is a portable supply of things you’ll need to survive for three days in an emergency, including items such as food, water, medical supplies, clothes, etc. Members of the LDS church are generally familiar with the idea of emergency preparedness, since for decades church leaders have been counseling members to prepare their families in case of emergency, but it may be a topic a little less well-known outside the Mormon bubble. So why is having a 72-hour kit important or applicable for all people? No matter where you live, you never know when disaster will strike—floods, blizzards, hurricanes, fires, power outages, I guarantee there’s some disaster that could reach you. A 72-hour kit could be useful even if you’re a poor college student like me and there’s a time when you’re out of groceries between paychecks. It happens. It’s a good idea to have a bigger food storage saved in case of a long-lasting emergency as well, but if you’re a young college student like me who’s constantly moving from one small apartment to another, carrying around a couple hundred pounds of food isn’t exactly feasible—for moving, or for my budget. But a 72-hour kit is practical, and doable, for anyone to get a start on food storage, and to be just a little more prepared.
In the quick search I did, I found these to be the basic essentials you should get first to start your kit:
–Water: The recommended amount of water to have stored is 1 gallon per person per day—but, keep in mind that a 72-hour kit is meant to be portable. You may need to pack less water than the recommended amount, and have some extra handy just in case.
–Food: Granola bars, tuna, beef jerky, trail mix, crackers, instant oatmeal, peanut butter, dried fruit, canned foods, etc.—just make sure there’s enough non-perishable food for a 3-day supply, along with dishes and utensils, and anything you might need for preparation. (Don’t forget the can opener!)
–Hygiene Supplies: Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, dish soap, hand sanitizer, etc.
–Medical Supplies: Basically a first aid kit, along with any medications you may be taking.
–Other Equipment: Flashlight (and batteries), pocket knife, matches/lighter, candles, blankets, etc.
These are just some basics to help start the process. I found a lot of useful information and more detailed lists at the following sites:
http://maintainingmotherhood.com/adult-72-hour-kit/
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/emergency-survival-72-hour-kits/
https://www.thoughtco.com/72-hour-kit-for-emergency-preparedness-2159406
(Pinterest also has tons of great suggestions, and, as always, Google has some great tips to offer as well!)
It’s important to remember, the purpose of a 72-hour kit is to have it ready for an emergency—so keep it in something portable, like a backpack, and somewhere you can get to it quickly.
You don’t have to buy all the items for your kit at once. I wouldn’t even recommend it, unless you happen to have a bunch of money saved up to spend on your emergency preparedness; like all good things, your 72-hour kit comes little by little. Personally, my goal right now is to buy 1–2 items a week to build my 72-hour kit. Even if you’re tight on money, all it takes is an extra box of crackers or can of food once a week to start, and you’ll be prepared in no time!
Let us know in the comments what your best tips are for compiling a 72-hour kit, and good luck assembling your own!
BY NATASHA ANDERSEN
This is the story of how I learned to balance time between my children. The year is 1991, my husband and I just had our fifth child, and the oldest is only seven. In the next seven years, we would add four more children to […]