Life is so good. I have been so thankful for all that has been happening in my life. There is so much unknown in my future, but it just adds to the adventure of life! I am starting to appreciate this time in my life where there are so many decisions to make. I love it. It is stressful beyond measure, but through the stress and decisions and mistakes I feel like I am becoming the person that I want to be. I am starting to recognize the miracle of making choices and learning from those choices. Nothing in my life is perfect. I seem to find at least one way to fail everyday, but I am grateful for each new day that comes where I can have another try.
Lately I have been trying to learn how to go with the flow. Trying to figure out my future has led me to the realization that I worry like a big worry wart! I want to plan and know every detail of my life, but where's the fun in that? I feel the Lord just saying relax and enjoy the ride. Everyday He gives me another little piece to the puzzle of my life and it is so exciting. I just have to figure out how they all fit together!
I was thinking the other day about work, working at Pasta Factory. In the past four years I have spent so much time at that place getting to know all the people that I work with. My co-workers and I have so many interesting and diverse conversations. Although I feel more and more that I need to find a better and more challenging job I am so grateful for the time that I have spent there. This semester my school schedule has allowed me to work a lot of 12-5 shifts at work. This shift is right around the time that the restaurant gets slow so I get a lot of time to talk to the 12-5 waiter. Yesterday we were talking and I realized that the people that I have associated with at Pasta Factory has shaped me to an extent. Is that good or bad? I'm not sure, but I love it. The other weekend my old roommate Kaylee came to St. George to visit and I got to introduce her to all of my work friends and I realized that Pasta Factory is so much a part of my life. The people that I work with are my friends. Whenever I have something on my mind I can tell them and sometimes I get all sorts of crazy advice, but most of the time I get some really great advice that helps me. They also give me support. Every time I tell them my new future plan they are all supportive and encourage me. Of course there is relentless teasing mixed in, but that's what makes it fun. Ah! I am crazy. I need to get out of there! I will. I commit, right now, that I will find a different job.
So here's the update:
Plan A.
Stay here at Dixie and get my Physical Therapy Assistant Associates Degree and then take the few classes left to get my exercise science degree at BYU-Provo. Either continue to mooch off my parents while it's still semi-okay, or move out and lose a lot of money. Find a different job and work at Pasta minimally. Enjoy the amazing weather and recreational fun here in Southern Utah for another 3 1/2 years. Oh man, that's a long time.
Plan B.
Apply to BYU-Provo now and study Exercise Science. Move out and meet new people, be with my brother, and be in the dreary cold. And lose a lot of money.
Plan C.
Finish out this year of school, work my little tail off, and put my papers in to serve an LDS mission next Fall. Then figure out my life from there.
So many paths. So many positive options.
"Sometimes we have to take a step in the darkness and have faith the light will follow."
Last week I was able to get Mckay's Holiday package together!
The package consisted of his Halloween Card, a Thanksgiving tree, a Christmas card and poem, an ordinary poem, and a few pictures. I have spent a lot of time putting this package together and so I have been so excited to send it to him. All I have heard of sending packages or letters to Brazil has been negative so I have been praying for the past month that this package would make it to him safely. I received a letter from him earlier this month. He made it to Brazil safely and is now struggling to get the language down. He is having so many crazy adventures though. I am so thankful for his example and that I get to write him and hear from him.
Occasionally I will visit his family. I love them so much. Every time I go over there I learn so much about families, about the gospel, and about being happy. They are kind enough to let me read some of his emails. Oh man, he is so funny. A couple of weeks ago he sent them an email and he said that he realized the importance of finding joy in everyday life. So he wrote about a bunch of funny things that happened to him that week. He is such a great example to me. It was cool. The other day I was reading in The Book of Mormon and the spirit led me to 2 Nephi 2:25. Men are that they might have joy. He is miles ahead of me, but I realized that he is so right. Those everyday moments that make us smile and laugh are the moments that mean the most. Those are the tender mercies the Lord gives us through all the stress and trials on earth.
I hope that my package gives him a little joy during this holiday season!
Well, I have to study now and write a paper that I should have been writing right now.
Happy Finals Eve!!
