Growing Up

I just realized that in a few short months, all my guy friends from high school will be home from their missions. Also, I'm graduating with a bachelor's degree in less one year. ONE. One is not a very big number. You know what this means? I'm growing up. I'm going to be a real adult soon. Yeah, I've been a "legal" adult for a few years now but it's really not the same. I've still only been working part time jobs, am on my parents' insurance plans, and just going to school with a bunch of other undergraduate students. In just one year I will have taken the GRE, have finished my bachelor's degree and be finishing up my internship. At this point I will have to decide if I'm going to get a full time job working in my chosen field or go on to graduate school right away. The skills I've learned in college will no longer be applied to random case studies with text book answers. Instead, I'll be using them to help REAL people in REAL life situations. Yes,  I will be helping change people's lives. Weird.

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...

Here we go again!

Well, at least I blog once a month, right? Haha! Today is move-in day at my university. Has it really been a whole year?? I can't even believe how fast it's flown by. It's weird to think that within the last year, I've sent out 15 of my best friends on missions. It has been so incredible to watch them all grow.

It was this time last year when I met one of my very best friends, Liz, and started a closer friendship with Beth Ann, the prettiest little red-head at our whole university! We've been through SO much together!! Liz's knee surgery, our chemistry classes (yeah for ice cream to get us through!), boys, my random teary-eyed break downs, Beth Ann's many dates, oh the list could go on! I could never thank these girls enough for putting up with me through all of this.

Also within the last year, I discovered who my best friends really were all along... My family. In high school I never would have thought they'd be my best friends. Nobody really knows me like they do. Nobody but my mom would be able to handle me the way she does :) I love them so much, I really do. I've loved being home for a little while to see my sisters growing up. I helped teach Hailee how to count and recognize colors. She is just my most favorite little munchkin ever! I hope I have a little girl like her one day :) I've loved finally being able to get closer to my cousin, Courtney. She'll be up at school with me this fall and I am so excited to have one of my XC workout buddies back!!!

It's crazy to me how much I've learned and changed in the last year (and how random this blog post is... sorry!) There are so many things that have shaped me into somebody better, and I know there are so many more growing experiences to come. Growing up makes me excited and freaks me out all at the same time! It's just nice to know that I have a Heavenly Father who's watching out for me, giving me experiences I need, and guiding me the whole way through. He has blessed me SO MUCH  this last year... I've had at least two jobs at a time, pulled the grades I need for PA school (except chemistry... maybe if I study this time I'll get a better grade), and so much more! Can't wait to see what the new semester brings!! Sophomore year, here I come!! :)

Wonderful week :)

Pretty much I am SO blessed! Here's a list of things I'm grateful for this week (obviously not in order of importance)...

1. Missionaries. In the last two weeks I have received 5 missionary letters!! I've gone like over a month without a single one and they all came at the same time :) I love missionaries so much!!

2. My roommates. They are seriously the best! I love all the random things we do together- like grow beans in a cup (which is actually working very well). They are such amazing girls and I love them all more than I could ever express.

3.Sunshine. In fact, my shoulders got a little burned at my track meet today! I'm so excited to have the sun come out! I love summer. I love all the beautiful flowers everywhere. Believe it or not, I actually had the urge to mow a lawn yesterday. SO weird. I think it was the sunshine and the smell of spring

4. My family! They are so supportive of me! I couldn't ask for a more wonderful family. :)

5.My Heavenly Father. For the last year or so I've been trying to plan out my life and it hasn't really been working. He kept telling me to just be patient and things would work out... Well this week I was guided to the right places at the right time and a whole life plan was thrown at my face. It was so perfect! It's definitely not an easy one, but I'm so grateful for the opportunities I'm going to have along the way :) I'm grateful for the opportunities my Heavenly Father gives me to learn and to grow- that he doesn't always give me what I ask but instead gives me what I need.

6. My body. Being a somewhat science-oriented person I've been taking lots of science classes and have had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about the human body. I will never cease to be amazed! I can't believe how wonderful our bodies are! They can see and feel and touch and taste and hear and move and so many wonderful amazing things!  I'm grateful for exercise and healthy food and how wonderful it makes me feel.