Well, the day that I never imagined would come is upon me. This girl:
that came here nine and a half years ago, is leaving. On November 1, 2012, I will drive my fun little car full of almost everything that I own out of Utah county, and travel off into new adventures. That 18 yr. old girl could have never dreamed all the experiences that awaited her here over this past decade. So, if you wish, join me as I reminisce for a minute on the wonderful goodness I have experienced.
I almost didn't come to BYU. I wanted to major in music, there were other options, I got rejected by BYU, but a ray of hope came when they said I could be admitted if I came first for the summer. Getting into BYU was the first of many thousands of tender mercies that would come into my life. I owe all that I have experienced and have become to God. He has been so good to me. I am so grateful to Him for allowing me to have all of these wonderful experiences, the hard right along with the more blissful. I love Him and all He has helped me to become, know, the people He has brought into my life, and the joy I have experienced.
Three weeks after graduating high school, my wonderful parents drove me up here and dropped me off at Helaman Halls with my dear cousin Erma. That summer was blissful. I enjoyed late summer night hours, a little bit of learning, and wonderful new friends.
For the rest of freshman year, I moved to the other on-campus housing, Deseret Towers (DT-may it rest in peace) and experienced many more fun friends. That freshman year was hard, but a good learning experience for me as began to learn what it meant to work, pray, study, and rely on the Lord in all things. I worked at the MTC cafeteria where I met people that continue to impact my life today.
(I have more pictures...I just can't find them right now)
That summer I went home and worked and then came back to the most blissful of living situations I have ever experienced. Blessed Virginia 3 at Liberty Square. My sophomore year was a little better than the previous year in way of school, I was getting better at it...sort of...and I had some incredible support from wonderful roommates. It also helped that I was introduced to a new love, Therapeutic Recreation, by a dear friend of mine, it made learning so fun as I began to take classes in a field that I was so passionate about. I began to learn about service, sacrifice, and relationships (not of the romantic type just in general, how to interact with others). AND I won my first intramural championship (the first of a good handful).
That summer after sophomore year, I got my first taste of the wilderness doing Camp WILD. I'll spare all details, but it was an INCREDIBLE month. And I became addicted to the outdoors, sleeping on rocks, and being dirty while camping. And, of course, there were more amazing people there too.
The next fall, in 2005, I went to school and decided to take a leave the next spring to do this:
And that is a whole different wonderful story...so I came back to Happy Valley in January of 2008. And I met more wonderful people, had a new love for learning I gained as a missionary and fell in love with school, and even got to have the best job in the world: teaching missionaries!!! Those last couple years of school are hard to describe all I learned and experienced. It was mostly the people that made my life so good. They always have.
(I could put a bajillion pictures on here...it's fun looking through them because it brings back such wonderful fun memories. If I haven't put your picture up, don't be offended, it's not that we don't have wonderful memories together...It's that I don't want to totally bore anyone who is still looking at this...)
I graduated (these are all my recreation therapy peeps):
And I grew up, and got a real job...playing :) That's why I became a Recreation Therapist. What better life could there be then to play with people to help them make their lives better?! I submit none better. And then I got laid off. And that was hard. Grown up life was hard. But I felt to stay around here in Provo, and goodness continued to happen in my life. I got the job at the nursing home as a recreation director. I worked there for two and a half years. It was a long time :) I learned so much about patience and love. Unconditional love. I kept meeting more and more awesome people at every job. And then I quit that job to go to my current one. Where I have learned and grown more, met even more awesome people. I'd include pictures for all those experiences, but that's illegal...so I won't. But I love them all and think the world of everyone I worked with, the things we got to do together, and the people we served.
A major bonus of being here has been being close to my brothers, and being able to play so much with them. Oh I love them and the support they have given me. I have the best brothers in the world. From late night talks, to blessings, to big hugs, to just listening ears for my girlish rantings, they are the best. I will miss being right here with them. (and a shout out to my sisters in law who are likewise wonderful and whom I met both here and I can't find a good picture of us: ) )
Of course, this past year has been one of the sweetest years of them all as I have got to know the best of the best men out there. The adventures Stan and I have had together throughout the last year have been some of the most fun I've had during my stint in Provo. Sappy as it may sound, this place isn't quite as fun without him here even though I had lived without our adventures for so many years. What a way to end my life here in Provo!
So Provo, all you are and hold in you, farewell.
Yes my life has been, and is, so so so sweet. I'm one blessed gal!
