Insta-Flashback

Do you ever just scroll through your Instagram or your Facebook or whatever and marvel at how your life has changed? I suppose blog scrolling would be another good option too.

Today I took a few minutes to do that. When I turned 29, I set a goal to make my last year of my twenties the best year. I wasn't sure what that would look like. During the summer of 2016, I'd taken my dream trip to London and Paris, so with that in my mind I thought I would focus on traveling, learning new things, having exciting experiences.

There has been some of that this year. But mostly, it's been the best year because of my loved ones and the time I've spent with them. It's amazing how much has changed in my family just over the last year.


Last fall, both Kristie and Jason came home from their missions. I moved out of the house when Kristie was only 10. She was home from September to January, and during that time, we spent more time together than we have in a very long while. We had lots of sister bonding moments and lots of fun adventures.

Once Jason was back, we had our whole family living together in the same place for 6 weeks or so. We all knew it was likely our last hurrah (the last time we'd all live at home) and so we really tried to enjoy our time together. In December we took an awesome family trip out to SLC to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert, and it was very much on my mind that it might be our last trip before people started spreading out and getting married. But I had no idea just how close that time was--on that very trip, Kristie went on her first date with her now-husband, and the rest is history!

Once 2017 rolled around, I thought seriously about making a big change in my life. I'd essentially given up on marriage, and I wanted to make some changes so I could live a more fulfilling life as a single woman. I wasn't sure what that would be. I considered a PhD or buying a home, but I realized I didn't really want to go back to school, and I didn't feel right about buying a home for some reason. Eventually I decided to adopt a puppy. I'd always planned to wait until my kids were old enough to ask for a dog, but it seemed to me I might never have kids, and that I'd waited long enough. My instagram feed becomes clogged with Molly pics after that--so strange to think that she's only been part of my life for a few months, really! She's grown up so much from when I brought her home as a tiny little furball (I see one instagram post where her breeder told me she was a healthy 4 pounds. She's three times that big now!).

The same week I got Molly (February 18 is her gotcha day!), I flew out for Melissa's wedding. I was so happy for her that she finally found her Prince Charming! Actually, now that I think about it, that was the same week Kristie got engaged too, and I was very happy for her! But at the same time, these moments reminded me of how my life hadn't gone according to plan. I remember recommitting myself to my plan to make my single life the best it could be.

That was more ironic than I could ever have realized, because I was only two weeks away from meeting my future husband. On March 4, I helped host Colorado Springs annual YSA Ball--Back to the Future themed this time! As I was running around finishing the set up, I saw Trevor for the first time in the hallway. He'd been in the Springs looking for housing that day and decided to stop by. Of course I noticed he was cute. I overheard him telling someone he'd be moving to the Springs soon. I thought of going to say hi.... but I didn't. Right away I thought, what is the point? So maybe we'd flirt a little at the dance. Maybe he'd even get my number and we'd go on a date or two. It won't go anywhere--it never does. Either he'll lose interest or I will. So I went on my way without a word to him.

At the beginning of the ball, there was a formal dinner. We had seats for 180 people or so. I picked a table to sit at. And... out of all the tables in that room, Trevor ended up sitting at mine. He was with a guy giving him advice about housing (Mitch, if anyone is curious!) and Mitch decided they should sit with us. I couldn't help but wonder if I was getting a second chance to talk to Trevor. He introduced himself and we got to talk a bit... and the more we talked, the more I realized that for the first time in a while, I was actually interested in this boy. I really wanted him to get my number.

We weren't sitting next to each other. He was across the table and a seat or two down from me, and we soon got pulled into conversations with the people closer to us. And then as dinner ended, I had to dash off to get the dance launched. I don't remember how long I was out there running around. I do remember that when I made it back into the gym, I ran into Trevor almost right away (he says he was looking for me!) and it was a slow song, so he asked me to dance. I don't remember everything we talked about, but I do remember he asked what I do for fun and he seemed to be listening closely--I hoped he was scoping out date ideas. When the song ended, we stood there and just kept talking. Everything seemed to be going well until he asked how old I was and we discovered I was 29 and he was 24. I thought it was all over there, and so I backed off my flirting quite a bit in case he was scared off by my age. But, he still asked me for my number. He told me he had to take off because he had a long drive back to Boulder, but he'd be back in a couple weeks to check out more housing options, and he'd move to the Springs in May.

I watched him leave the dance, and I knew there was no way I would meet anyone else who could compete that night.

I didn't hear much from him after that. I did see him briefly when he came back to the Springs to work on housing, but he was mostly focused on talking to guys to see if anyone needed a roommate. During the next two months, I thought about him now and then and wondered if he'd vanished because he lost interest, or if he was just buried in finishing up his master's degree, and when he appeared he'd ask me out.

And then one Friday night he showed up at the weekly YSA activities I was in charge of. It was a Pinewood Derby night. My guy friends had tried to teach me the trick to building a super car, but I decided I didn't want to worry about it too much and threw together a car from a kit that soon claimed its place as the slowest car of the night. (Which I was ridiculously proud of--if you have a slow car, it might as well be the slowest!) Meanwhile Trevor brought one of his childhood cars and won for being the fastest. You can see snippets of this on my Instagram--a pic of my car, and a couple videos of it slowly approaching the finish line--in one, you can catch a glimpse of Trevor.

I was happy to see him there, but also cautious. I played it cool and didn't hover near him. It seemed to me like he went to talk to every other girl before me (he says it was more like they talked to him!). But towards the end of the night, Trevor came to talk to me before he left. He asked me about some upcoming events, including the Baccalaureate Service that Sunday at the Air Force Academy. Seated was limited so they were giving out tickets to make sure we didn't overflow the AFA Chapel. I knew my dad had a stack of tickets at home (he's a bishop) so I offered to give him one. Then Trevor asked about a carpool to the service. It would have been a golden opportunity to offer him a ride, but I didn't. I didn't want to be too forward. So I told him I was sure he would catch a ride with someone after church. But at the end of our conversation, Trevor brought it up again. "Are you sure there's not a carpool? How are you getting there? Are you going with your family?" I decided maybe he really did want to go with me, and I told him he could come with me and Lori.

Then I went home and thought about it a little. I called Lori up and told her I had a date to the baccalaureate so we wouldn't be able to drive up together.

The next night, Sister Dalton gave a fireside (she was the speaker at the Baccalaureate Service). I saw Trevor come in and sit down by himself in the back. All of a sudden I felt shy. I wanted to invite him to sit with me, but wasn't that kind of forward? No, no, it was just being friendly, so he wouldn't have to sit alone. I turned and smiled and waved at him, and gestured to him to come join me.

Since then.... we've basically been inseparable. It wasn't long before we became official... Actually I think that was the same week Kristie got married! Now here we are, engaged and counting down the days to the wedding.

If you'd told me a year ago where I'd be now... I wouldn't have believed you for a second. It's crazy to think about everything that has happened in a year. It makes me wonder what the future is going to hold.

Hufflelumps

Kristie's return to the Springs allowed us to solve a long standing mystery....

What house would she be sorted into at Hogwarts?

Shauna, Jason, and I had all taken the official Pottermore quiz and fully embraced our houses with pride (once we got over the initial shock of not being Gryffindors). Can you guess what we are?

I'm a very proud Hufflepuff. :) To us, the most important trait is being nice... and that's a philosophy I can stand behind! It's also very important to us to be loyal and hard working. Other houses look down on us sometimes, thinking that since our most important trait is kindness... we are dumb without anything else going for us. But hey, what else is new? There's a reason there is a widely accepted (and not true) expression, "Nice guys finish last."

Shauna and Jason are both Ravenclaws, which of course, is the house for the smartest students are Hogwarts.

And today, we discovered that Kristie is a Gryffindor, just like Harry Potter! :) No surprises there. Gryffindors' most important trait is bravery... that fits her to a T.

We made Mom take the quiz too. She is a Ravenclaw (so that's where Shauna and Jason get it from). She's not a Potterhead like we are, and it's been a while since she's read the books/seen the movies.... so she got it into her head that my house is called the "Hufflelumps" (a slight variation off the Heffalumps Winnie the Pooh talks about... you know, Heffalumps and Woozils?). Several times today she cheerfully called me out for being a Hufflelump, and she said that we all must be fat if everyone calls us lumps. XD I laughed pretty hard. The truth is, Heffalump is a clever nickname for us Hufflepuffs. ;)

Dad watched all the Harry Potter movies with us growing up, but he never read the books, and I can't imagine him ever taking the quiz..... so we've decided he is a Muggle.

And there you have it, the basics for your very own McAllister family Harry Potter fanfiction. :) A Ravenclaw married a Muggle, and produced a Hufflepuff (assumingly to everyone's slight dismay at first), 2 Ravenclaws, and a Gryffindor. We would have had a great time at Hogwarts, it's a shame our letters never arrived!

Kristie is home!!!

Last night we picked Kristie up from the airport! :)

For the last eighteen months, she's been serving a mission for our church in Finland. We were able to email her once a week, and we Skyped on Christmas and Mother's Day, but that's all the contact we've had with her.

I am so proud of Kristie and her desire to serve. :) For the entire eighteen months, she dedicated her life to serving the Lord--to serving His children (seriously, if you ever need help with yard work or help around the house-call the Mormon missionaries and they will help you out!), to studying His word, and to teaching. For the last 4 months, she's been serving as a Sister Training Leader, which means she worked closely with her Mission President and his wife to assist in all the affairs of the mission.

She's grown so much while she's been away. :) When she left, she was a college freshman and definitely still my baby sister. Now she's a grown up adult woman who can drive in Finnish traffic and bake tons of delicious Finnish stuff. I'm so happy to have her back. I wondered if it would feel a little weird at first, but instead it feels like life is closer to normal with her around. :) Now if we can just get my brother back from his mission in Mexico (he's there until November) our family will finally be together again! Only 52 days left. (Yes, I am counting down. :)

I'm grateful to have awesome siblings that have always been best friends. I hope we stay like that for forever.

Today, in celebration of Kristie's return, the two of us went to get mani-pedis. I'd never had a pedicure before, she'd never had a manicure. It turns out it was really fun. I managed to mess up my manicure in like 5 minutes, but the pedicure lasted great. We may have to go back again!

The picture's a little shaky because apparently massage chairs make it hard to snap a pic! Pro tip. :) Also pro tip: TURN THE CHAIR OFF when they are trying to paint your toes. It took me a minute to realize that.

See the Good

A little bit of wisdom from my sister Kristie, who is currently serving a mission in Finland:

"Over the past few weeks it seemed as though nothing was going our way. Sister Bruce and I just laughed it all off and kept working, but deep down it was still a little hard, then I realized a few things. First of all, things can always be better then they seem. When you are just waiting for the next thing to go wrong, and focusing on the negative side of things then of course it will seem like everything is going wrong!! So this week I started to focus on every good thing that happened, no matter how small it was and I realized that there are so many amazing things and little miracles happening right before my eyes every single day that I had been missing. This is the Lord's work and I can truly see his hand in things. Everything that I thought had gone wrong started making so much more sense, we needed to be in certain areas at certain times for certain people and if things had worked out the way I thought was right we wouldn't have been. We just need to trust in the Lord and try to see the big picture. "

So proud of that girl! And our brother Jason who is serving in Mexico right now. Can't wait to get them back but I know they are where they need to be right now.

And She's Off!

Dropping Kristie off at the entrance to the MTC

Sister McAllister goes off to Finland

Or, at least to the MTC.

The last week and a half have been a blur. Shauna and I flew out to Colorado on the 20th, to attend Kristie's farewell talk on the 22nd. (Mormon missionaries usually speak to the members of their congregation on the Sunday before they go out--Kristie was speaking two weeks out because the first Sunday of each month is reserved for a special meeting called fast and testimony meeting). Then it snowed so much that church was canceled for our entire stake!

The new plan was for Kristie to give her talk right before the testimonies started on fast Sunday. So Shauna and I opted to stay in Colorado until we got to hear her speak. She did a great job. :) I can tell she is ready to be a missionary.

On Sunday, we had a family party with Dad's side of the family to wish her well. On Monday, we came back to Utah, and had a family party with Mom's side of the family too. It was fun seeing so much of my extended family in such a short period. They are all proud and excited for Kristie to serve.

We will drop Kristie off at the Missionary Training Center on Wednesday. I will miss her like crazy while she is gone, but I am so proud of her for serving the Lord, and I know He needs her in Finland right now.

Dream Come True

So ever since I went to see the Christmas lights in Temple Square, clear back in my freshman year, I wanted to come back with my family someday so they could see it too.

Mom's in town this week, so last night my sisters and I went up with her to Salt Lake City. We had dinner at the Lion House and then headed over to check out all the lights.

One more thing to check off my life bucket list! :)

Mitt Romney

So, Mitt Romney came to speak at BYU today.

Melissa and I headed up early to get good seats, and I snagged a couple for Shauna and Kristie too. We ended up about 6 rows back in the middle section.

It was crazy to see Mitt for real, after seeing him on TV so many times. Before he came, Melissa and I wondered what to do when he entered the room. For general authorities and dignitaries, we stand up quietly and wait until they are seated. But when Mitt came in, everyone erupted into applause, and soon almost everyone was on their feet.

BYU was super jazzed to have Mitt there. When the Dean got up to announce him as our speaker, people couldn't contain their excitement. "We are pleased to have as today's devotional speaker, former Governor of Massachusetts and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney." Applause and cheers so loud the Dean had to pause. Mitt smiled at all of us in return. "We are also pleased to be joined today by our special guest, Ann Romney, Mitt's wife." More enthusiastic cheering and applause. Mitt joined in and said something to his wife, which in my mind must have been very sweet, about how he appreciates her. "The Romneys also have many friends and family who have joined us in the audience." Again with the applause, just as loud and enthusiastic as the first round. Mitt cracked up. I did too. Yay, Mitt's friends and family!

The Dean commented that at this rate, they might have to cancel afternoon classes. That got the loudest cheers and applause of all.

And then of course, he also thanked the people who played the organ and lead the music for the opening hymn. Same thunderous applause for them. I thought it was hilarious.

Mitt shared a great message. You can read it in full here or even watch the video.

Mission Calls!!!

Our family is sending not one, but TWO missionaries out this year!

Jason got his mission call on August 14. He's going to Guadalajara Mexico, reporting to the Mexico City Missionary Training Center on November 26. (Yes, it's Spanish speaking.)

Kristie got her mission call today! She flew home so she could open it with her friends. She's going to Helsinki Finland. She reports on March 4.

I'm so proud of my siblings for devoting the next two years to serving the Lord! We will miss them very much--that will be half of the kids gone. But I know they are doing the Lord's work, and I wouldn't have it any other way.