Love life :)

So I'm really inconsistent with this whole blogging thing, oh well. I have all sorts of exciting new to share, though!

1. Missionaries really DO come home after two years! My cousin, Josh, came home last Thursday; my friend, Sam Whitworth, came home last Saturday; and  another friend, Kendall Hatch, comes home this weekend! I never thought this day would come. I can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks!
2. I get to go home to see my family in just two weeks! TWO WEEKS! I haven't seen my cute little sisters in over three months. I'm so excited to see them along with my parents and extended family for Josh's homecoming talk.
3. My roommates are just fantastic :) Karaoke nights, drinking mass amounts of hot chocolate, group dinners, watching Friends, creeping on the mailman, and baking are regular activities at our apartment.I didn't know a single one of these girls when I moved in, but you would never guess it now! We've become so close and I really don't know what I'd do without them!
4. I'm making friends! One of my biggest fears when I first moved down here was that I would have trouble making friends and being social. Luckily, this has not been the case.
5. I love my job and the people I work with! I feel so blessed to have a job in an area where unemployment rates are fairly high, especially one that I enjoy so much! It helps that my co-workers are lots of fun, too :)
6. School is going really well. I LOVE my public health classes and am learning so much. I'm getting excited to find an internship and eventually a real job where I'll be able to use these skills and help others every day.
7. I'm starting to learn a little bit more about my Heavenly Father's plan for me and my future. It's definitely not the exact path I would have planned for myself, but I know it's going to be so much better.
8. It's finally fall. Fall is my FAVORITE season :) It was even cold enough for me to wear my yellow pea-coat last week. 

Big Changes...

Well, I did it! I'm officially a college graduate. It's so weird to think that a whole two years has gone by already. This afternoon I'm moving out of my apartment and saying goodbye to my roommates. I sure am going to miss those girls. They are honestly some of the most incredible people I know and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to get to know them this semester. I've had so much fun getting to know them and I've learned lots! Here are just a few of the things I've learned this semester:

1. If you microwave a hard-boiled egg for too long, it explodes and makes a big mess.
2. I am capable of driving a standard. Thanks to Sariah and her patience in teaching me... I know it was probably a difficult and high-stress task :)
3. Applebee's maple pecan blondies are incredibly delicious. However, if you go to Applebee's at 11p.m. in your pajamas and order a blondie with mozzarella sticks, your waitress may think you are a little strange.
4. Never forget about your bananas. If you neglect them too long, they turn radioactive, leak juices, and bubble all over your microwave and refrigerator and it's not easy to clean up.
5. Oregano and spearmint smell great...
6. It's okay to pray to fine a lost earring/i Card
7. The Lord hears and answers prayers and is constantly guiding our lives. Sometimes he asks us to do hard things, but he always finds a way to help us get through them if we ask.

In one week I'm moving out of state. I was able to get a job and so I'm moving down earlier than expected for training. I will be living with my great uncle Daryl and aunt Mary Jo for a month until my apartment contract starts. I'm so excited to get to know them and am grateful for their generosity and kindness. I won't have any friends down there for a few weeks, which is kind of scary, but I have amazing family down there and I'm sure I'll be able to meet lots of new friends through work.

Oh yeah, and my friends are coming home from their missions! Two of them come home in less than 100 days!! It's crazy how fast two years goes by! I'm so looking forward to October, November, January, and April! I'm so proud of my friends and their willingness to serve, but I still can't wait to see them again.

These next few months will bring all sorts of exciting new experiences and I am so excited to see how things work out! Life is just so great :)

What? I have a blog?

What could I be doing right now? Lots of things... Homework, sleeping, studying... But guess what? I'm not. I'm blogging for the first time in basically forever! Lots of things have changed. I don't even know where to start. First off... I'm transferring. Yep! Who saw that one coming? Not me! I'm graduating with my associates in July and moving out of state to go to a bigger university. Honestly that was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. I'm perfectly comfortable where I am. I know lots of people, I'm less than an hour away from home, I'm familiar with the campus, I just love it here. So much. I'm moving somewhere bigger that I have no idea how to find my away around and into an apartment with a bunch of people I don't know. At first I was a little anxious about the whole thing, but now I'm really excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm still nervous about a few things and I'm going to miss my other college a lot, but I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to. I just know it's right... for whatever crazy reason. Guess I'll find out!

This semester has been a great one. My roommates are just so laid back I love it! My classes are pretty okay considering that they're general ed classes. Heck, I'm even enjoying my China class... Never thought I'd see that day. Work is going great. I am so thankful for my job! I love that I get to wear business clothes every day! I'm going to really miss this place.

I am so thankful for my love of running. Tonight I was a little stressed out looking for jobs and internships, making sure my fall schedule is the way I want it, and just trying to get through the day. I was finally fed up with it and just went for a run. It wasn't a very long run, because I was dumb enough to eat a bunch of Oreos right before I left. About a mile in I cramped up pretty bad... Never  fear, I kept going another mile and a half or so. It was so great. Just me, the sidewalk, my music, and my electric yellow running shoes (I may or may not be in love with those things. They're the best!). Ahh I can't even express how great it makes me feel. Nothing clears my mind much better than a good run.

Well this was a pretty random, pointless blog but I promise I'll be better at keeping up and making things interesting. Roommate adventure weekend is coming up soon. Oh, and my birthday! Woohoo!

Until next time...