Happy New Year! On January 1, 2012, I wrote this in my journal: "It's 1 am. I'm sitting on the couch in the game room, eating leftover cheesecake and pretending that I'm going to pack but knowing that I'm not really going to do that. I have so many things I want to say, more than I could write here. This is the year of changes." I literally started laughing after I read that. 2012 certainly was a year of changes, but none of them were anything like the changes I was expecting.
Here's a list of just a few of the crazy adventures I had in 2012.
I got my first real job at the BYU Bookstore and will be forever grateful for the blessings that came through those paychecks.
I got my second real job as a Peer Mentor and ended up leaving the bookstore as I fell completely in love with mentoring and the Freshman Mentoring Program. This job has changed my perspectives about the world and has made me a better student, friend, and person. I will never be the same because of the experiences I have had during my eight months of employment here, and I am so excited to come home from my mission and return to mentoring.
I failed every single one of my Winter semester finals. I walked out of the last one, fighting back tears, certain that I would lose my job, and literally feeling like the world was ending. When I walked into my apartment, I found it full of many of my good friends, all hard at work packing up my things that I hadn't had time to pack. By a marvelous miracle, and some really large curves, my ending grades still came out as all B+'s and A-'s, so I kept my job. God is always looking out for us.
Natalie and I drove all the way to California for a wonderful weekend vacation where we stayed with my aunt and uncle, accidentally drove across the Golden Gate bridge, and watched one of our great friends marry the love of her life.
Natalie, Marlee, and I moved into a new apartment at King Henry. We leaned on each other as we mourned the passing of Natalie's father, and Brian Cook, a close friend. Natalie's car died on the side of the road, and we learned how to walk everywhere and utilize public transportation. My brother came to visit me and attended EFY at BYU, and my mom came to visit and helped me pack up in preparation to move again.
Natalie and I moved to Southridge and discovered BYU's most social ward. I learned how to go without a heater in 15* weather, rain, and snow, when we got our first utility bill for $45.
After lots of praying, searching for guidance, I sat and listened to General Conference (link to President's Monson's announcement about the change in missionary ages) and in an answer to prayers, decided to go on a mission. (link to my post about deciding to go on a mission)
So I moved again, back to my parent's house in Texas. I bought all the clothes I needed for my mission, dropped out of school, so to speak, and got ready to leave. I am grateful that things didn't turn out exactly the way I was expecting, and am so excited for this next great adventure!
Here's to 2013, another year full of changes and crazy experiences.
That's all.
