Reflections

I used to think that this year was going to be rather boring. I mean, last year in 2011 I was on top of the world. A senior in high school, graduating 12th in my class, participating in Ohio's Junior Miss, getting accepted to Indiana University and BYU, earning various scholarships, getting my first "job" as a private tutor, and getting recognized for band, Speech and Debate, theater etc.

I've been thinking a lot about not only what I've done in 2012, but I've done my first year at college. And I realized something- the Lord is not going to let me take an off year. If I continue to trust and follow him, I can be just as successful and productive as I was in high school, even on a much grander scale. I didn't die my first year of college! I fed myself, made it to all of my classes (well, almost), met some of the best friends I've ever had, and didn't spend too much money.

My first year at college:

I made the BYU Drumline!

I can't even begin to express how much of a blessing this has been in my life. Out of all the talented individuals that auditioned, Heavenly Father blessed me with the opportunity to play on the drumline with the most talented drummers I have ever met. And unlike my high school drumline, all of them are good guys- they are worthy priesthood holders who have testimonies of Jesus Christ. They are respectful. Some of them are fathers, some of them are husbands, and they are either returned missionaries or about to go on their missions. I am SO grateful to have had this opportunity to associate with such wonderful people, and to have met my best friends through these associations.

I got good grades!

Well...I think I will. At least last semester I did :D I have been able to take some fantastic classes and learn lots of new things. College isn't a waste of my time- you actually learn things in class unlike high school lol I was able to earn a full-tuition scholarship for Spring-Summer and made the Dean's List. I know that I need to continue to keep working hard, (academics are SO important) but I know that as I continue to give my best efforts, the Lord will help me and strengthen me.

I made the decision to go to China!

Next January, I'm traveling abroad with International Language Programs to teach English in a boarding school! I am BEYOND excited (and scared out of my mind). I am SO grateful for my parents supporting me in my decision, and for the miracle that one of my best friends, Sharae Vance, has decided to make the trip with me. I'm not going to a foreign country alone, but with a dear friend! SO excited :)

I lived within walking distance of the temple!

Aah, how cool is that?! There are only 137 temples on the earth, and I have the opportunity to visit the Provo temple every week. This has been such a blessing in my life, as I can always find direction within the walls of the temple.

I have also had the opportunity to visit a few of the other temples in Utah- there are SO many in the Wasatch front alone!

-Mt. Timpanogos Temple:

Oquirrh Mountain Temple:

Salt Lake Temple (where I'm going to do baptisms next week :))

and the Jordan River temple tonight if all goes as planned :)

I am SO blessed to have had these opportunities, and hope that I get to visit more temples throughout the world!

I had the opportunity to serve in more callings!

I remember when I came out to BYU and was thinking about how big the wards were going to be I thought I would never get a calling! I prayed and prayed that I would get a calling, any calling, so that I would have the opportunity to serve. I thought I might get a calling in the Relief Society, such as chorister, Compassionate Service leader, or a member of the birthday committee, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

I absolutely loved serving as Ward Newsletter co-editor with Sharae. This calling was perfect for me- I got to combine my love of writing and photography into designing the newsletter every month. If it wasn't for my calling, I wouldn't be friends with Sharae. We wouldn't be rooming together next year. And we wouldn't be going to China. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and He is so amazing!

I also had the opportunity this second semester to serve as a Visting Teaching Supervisor. I am so grateful for these opportunities that I had to serve, and hope to have more to come!

I got to see the priesthood in action! I cannot even begin to express how aawed and thrilled I am to have so many worthy young men exercising their priesthood. They are all INCREDIBLE! I have seen them drop everything that they're doing to come give a blessing, from times that my roommates have needed them...10 minutes before curfew or during the middle of church. When I have needed a blessing, there have been so many wonderful young men to call on that are more than willing to serve. I cannot thank them enough for their wonderful example, and hope that they continue to honor the priesthood throughout their lives!

I got to see my first mission call!

Yeah, in Toledo, OH, mission calls are few and far between. At BYU, they happen every single week. I had the opportunity to watch many of my best friends get called to serve the Lord. I am touched by their willingness to sacrifice two years of their lives to serve the Lord, and cannot wait to see all of the wonderful work that they are going to do! I am praying for them every single day, and could not be more excited for them in this exciting time in their lives!

Joseph's going to Stockholm, Sweden!

Peter's going to Rapid City, South Dakota!

Ryan's going to Middleton, New Jersey speaking Spanish!

Jordan is serving in Spokane, Washington and Phil is going to Honduras!

David is going to Lima, Peru!

A special congratulations to Sean Tribbett from my home ward who will be serving in the Pocatello, Idaho mission. Could not be more proud (and excited) for him!!

And there are plenty more, but if I took the time to list them all, I'd be here all day :D

I got my first real job...and my dream job!

Winter Semester, I got my first real job working at the Cougareat Food Court. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't my dream job. But there is no shame in hard work, and I needed a way to earn money to pay for my trip to China. I am so grateful that after a long and painful job search, I had a job that fit well with my class schedule, allowed me to work enough hours, and allowed me to meet some pretty fantastic people!

And then, after a series of miracles, I became an RA this Spring/Summer in New Heritage. I am VERY excited for this wonderful opportunity, and know that it is only because of the Lord that this is even possible!

I had the opportunity to volunteer!

Volunteering at the MTC- I've only gotten a few chances to go, but each experience has changed my life in some small way. The missionaries are INCREDIBLE, and I have loved volunteering the Teaching Resource Center. Basically what I've been doing is pretending to be an investigator and the missionaries have the opportunity to practice the discussions. The Spirit is SO strong every time, and my testimony is strengthened and reaffirmed. I look forward to being able to go every week this Spring and Summer :)

TOPS- Tutor Outreach to Provo Schools. At the beginning of the semester when I was looking for places to volunteer, this one jumped out at me. So I signed up, picked a classroom at Provo High School to volunteer at, and ran with it. And this experience has changed my life. Because volunteering helped me decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Each Thursday morning, I have the opportunity to work with English learners at Provo High School. The majority of them are native Spanish speakers, but there are a few Chinese speakers as well. Working with the students has helped me get a feel for what I'll be doing in China in a year, and help me realize that I want to be a teacher.

I changed my major!

Because of my experience with TOPS and through prayer, pondering, and seeking, I have changed my major. I want to teach. Yes, I still love writing. I still love journalism. But I want to be able to do both. If I just majored in Journalism, I wouldn't feel fulfilled. There are other things that I need to be doing with my life. So...onto learning Chinese and Spanish and seeing if I'll even be able to do this! I have great confidence though that if this is what the Lord wants me to do, He will provide the way! I'm just going to have to work really hard :)

I hiked a mountain!

Again, in Ohio, there are very few opportunities to do such things. I didn't realize until moving to Utah that I really do love the outdoors and yes, I can't believe I'm saying this, I really do like camping. You can truly feel God's love up on mountain, cut off from civilization, looking at the beautiful nature. That was a fabulous experience and I hope I get the opportunity to spend more time hiking, camping, and spending time in nature!

I SAW GENERAL CONFERENCE!

Words can't describe the Spirit in the Conference Center as each of the General Authorities spoke. Listening to the prophet speak. Singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was amazing. That is all I have to say.

I made the best friends a girl could have ever asked for!

Yep, I know I've talked about this before, but I'm going to talk about it again. The Lord brings people together for a reason. He doesn't want us to be alone. When I came back to BYU after Christmas break, it was my goal to be more social. I didn't think that I had made a lot of close friends my first semester, and I wanted to make sure that I was taking all of the opportunities I could to get to know people. And I met my best friends.

Thank you SO much to Jesse, Sharae, and Alicia for being amazing. Thank you to Cameron for being amazing. Thank you to Gina, Shontai, Mariah, Lauren, Paul, Kelyn, Brad, Tom, Brian, and Alex for such fun times! And a special thanks to my best friend, Joseph, for being so awesome. SO grateful for the wonderful times this semester and for the opportunity for more fun times to come. I mean, come on, Jesse, Sharae, Shontai, and I are living together next fall. What could go wrong? :D

Also, special thanks to all the wonderful friends I made on Drumline, especially my big sister Christina! Love her :)

I Made It! :) I am going to miss all of the wonderful people and experiences that I have had as a college freshman, but couldn't be more excited to have more new and fantastic experiences. I'll be a sophomore in just 2 weeks, and will have 3 more semesters before traveling to China. I don't know what they will bring, but I am looking forward to every turn! That is, as long as Heavenly Father is in control. He has a plan for my life, and as long as I hold on, my life can truly be a fairy tale :)

Time to study for Finals! Comparative Literature. Principles of Journalism. Book of Mormon. Here we go!