Rachel EM in JerusalEM: Spotlight: Lynne Gabrielsen

Lynne Gabrielsen was one of my Jerusalem Center roommates. Meeting new roommates is an experience few look forward to without butterflies in the stomach. When I met Lynne, I thought I had hit the jackpot. She is very cool and on top of things. That being said, I also figured that we'd have a personality conflict at some point or another. We're very different. School is important to Lynne--she studied constantly. She is currently majoring in Civil Engineering here at BYU, and is incredibly dedicated. Skyrockets are required to reach her GPA. Other first-impressions that I had of Lynne included a sense of fashion, and the awesome ability to wear make-up well. She always looked good. And clean. Haha--I just remembered that she had the only working flat-iron in our apartment. Luckily for us, she was kind and merciful and voluntarily shared it with us. Also, out of the four girls in room 408, Lynne was the only one in the "other" class, taught by Richard Draper instead of by Victor Ludlow. We valued her input because she filled us in on the different side of things, etc.

I really began to get along with Lynne when we'd find something to talk about. So much fun! A sensational conversationalist, Lynne can't stop once she gets going. It wasn't uncommon for Lynne and I to have "bedroom chats," she sitting on her bed and me on mine all the way across the room, talking for an hour or longer about boys, clothes, or music. Lynne was in Jazz band in High School, and when I'd play my WWII music she'd hear a snippet and say, "Isn't that "Taxi War Dance?" or, "Count Basie! Turn it up." I fell irresistibly in love with Lynne when I found out that she was familiar with the music of Jason Robert Brown, one of my favorite broadway lyricists and composers. We had long conversations about broadway music, and we listened to each other's music frequently. I loved it when she'd ask to borrow my ipod so she could go to the gym. Ah! There's another thing about Lynne. She takes very good care of herself: early to bed, early to rise, healthy food, and exercise. She went out of her way to buy fruit and vegetables.

Did we ever disagree? Yeah. I'm extremely opinionated, and I'm afraid that I offended Lynne occasionally. Something I regret and did not intend. I remember one specific circumstance when I insulted her favorite actor, Carey Grant, and that by doing so I unforseeably provoked her, starting one of those hideously honest finger pointing conversations. But it was all good. She helped me to see the way other people see me, and in many ways she pointed me on the path of learning things about myself that I needed to learn. Way to go, Lynne. ...I've heard that I am intimidating, quite by accident, I assure you, and for Lynne to say something difficult to me must have taken a lot of guts. Go, Lynne!

Lynne was out in the city a lot. Even at night. She saw as much as she could, and she took a lot of really good pictures to boot. I've posted several of them here. An incredibly gifted and bright individual, Lynne is a master student. Not only that, she reads classic books. For fun. (and she put up with me for teasing her about that fact.) I caught her reading Crime and Punishment frequently. She loves it. Frankly the thought of reading that again makes me ill, but Lynne sees so many things that I do not. She has a gift for analysis. She has good taste, too. She wisely spent her money on things that were worth it, and never on frivolities that didn't matter.

In many ways, Lynne reminds me of my oldest sister Melissa. Huh. I respect Lynne greatly, and I wish that I saw her on campus more now. When we see each other we go nuts, but I hope she'd agree that I haven't seen each other enough lately. I miss her smile. I LOVE YOU, LYNNE!