I Love my Friends

Maybe one day I will be better at writing about events when they actually happen, until then I will just have to put the date that I actually wrote the post.

Written December 21, 2010

President Kimball has said that answers to prayer can and usually do come through our interactions with others (now of course this isn't a direct quote because although LDS.org is a great website it takes forever to track down a quote.) This past year I have been blessed with amazing friends that have altered the course of my life forever. A couple of weekends ago I was reminded of what amazing friends I have made and how much I love them.

I know this probably is not a news flash to anybody who has talked to me in the past 4 months (and I am a little embarrassed to admit this) but I have slowly let my motivation to be social and look presentable fly out the window. This was blatantly obvious when I spent my first two weeks in Utah laying on Brittany's couch, going to job interviews, crying at least once a day, feeling sorry for myself, eating about 300 calories a day, and wondering if I had made a wrong decision to move to Utah. While I still find myself weeping at various times throughout the week, a new leaf has turned (and I only know that because I ate three solid meals today, showered, did my hair and my makeup, AND went out to see my China girls.)

What inspired this change of heart you might ask? An amazing trip to Rexburg on December 17^th and 18^th as well as seeing my China friends for the first time in 10 months!

On December 17^th the new student center was dedicated and my friend Ryan asked if I wanted to go with him and his sister up to the frozen tundra they call Rexburg. I of course said yes, packed my things and reluctantly made the journey up north. I was not the most excited to go because as previously stated I had let myself go and was in no condition to see all of my friends who viewed me as this confident, put together girl.

Ryan and I on my last night in Rexburg. July 2010

I know that everybody says that you should not rely on other people to make you happy or determine your self-worth, but I do, so sue me. My attitude quickly changed as I saw my dear friend/roommate Ashley. I have not lived with Ashley since last winter and I forgot how hard she makes me laugh. I forgot how good it feels to have a roommate I can stay up until 2 in the morning with playing “would you rather”, or talking about the temple and where our lives are going. 

The rest of the Thursday night was full of surprising friends (like my dearest Samantha, Annie, and Scotty D), as well as seeing friends from the ward at a little get together.

Girls Night June 2010 (we're still sorry about that one Scotty D)

I feel blessed to be able to go to the dedication on Friday. I have seen that building be built; after all I remember when that area was a field and a parking lot. After running into a few familiar faces I was able to hear the words of the Apostles as the counseled the faculty and students. My most favorite part of the entire program was when the choir and symphony played “Come Thou Font.” It literally brought tears to my eyes. During the day I was able to see a few of my favorite teachers, friends, and co-workers. It was such an amazing feeling to be in a place where I felt so comfortable and confident. After a rough couple of months I seemed to have forgotten how much I am loved, and how much I can love others. Literally one of the best experiences I could have had at this point in my life.

Then just a few short days later I was able to go to my sweet Heidi’s wedding. She is the first one from China to get hitched and she looked beautiful! I love living in Utah and being able to attend these little get together. I love those China girls more than anything and I love seeing how much they have grown and accomplished in just one year. (Picture to come)

The Big Move

So for those thinking that I have fallen off the face of the earth... or moved back to China, I am here to clear up those misconceptions and publicly announce that out of all the places I could have moved in the world I decided to move to... UTAH.  I have been semi-secretive about this move for several reasons, the first being it's Utah, the second being that I had no plans (aka a job or a place to live) so to tell people I was moving to Utah would mean that I would get the "so what are you doing there" question for which I didn't have any answers.

On November 18/19 I made the pilgrimage back to the mainland and showed up on my families doorstep (they didn't know that I was coming). I spent exactly one week in Minnesota saying hello to old friends, having my first Thanksgiving home 6 years and packing up my belongings to make the 20 hour, 1273 mile drive from Rochester, Minnesota to Salt Lake City, Utah (and for anyone who does not believe in hell, all they have to do is drive through Wyoming, and they will quickly change their mind).

Some of you might be asking, "Well why in the heck did you move to Utah." Let me tell you the decision to move was just as much as a shock to me as I'm sure it is to anyone who knows me. I was planning on spending the next couple years teaching English in Taiwan and American Samoa. This decision was made several days after I passed my certification exam, while I was still in Hawaii. After several hard weeks I came to the realization that it doesn't matter where I live, what matters is that I am close to people that I love, and while I could make friends anywhere, the icing on the cake was the fact that it would be really hard to seriously date if I keep moving around. 

So here I am. I have been in Utah for exactly 2 weeks, I recently got a job working at an Autism treatment center with my friend Brittany (whose couch I've been sleeping on for the past two weeks). I looked at an apartment yesterday in Taylorsville (so cross your fingers that everything will work out). 

Really this move was a giant leap of faith into the darkness. I felt this strong urging to get out to Utah as soon as possible, even though my brain was telling me how silly that was because I didn't have anything planned out. So I put my entire trust in the Lord and as a result I have seen many tender mercies unfold in my life. There have definitely been some hard days and I'm sure there will be many more to come but at least for now this is my next big adventure!