Sticking Around

Well, after much debate and dreaming and exploring potential options... I've decided to stay in P-town for another year.

Arizona sounds great and fun, but... I like it here. I'm not quite ready to leave. One of my good friends, Melissa, contacted me about the possibility of us rooming together next year, and that was just too good to pass up. Another year of life in a place I love, with at least one awesome roommate guaranteed! :) We did some apartment shopping last week, and today we signed a contract at a nice place in south Provo.

I have to say, it's a relief to have that decision off my chest. :) One of these days, I will leave Provo... but not yet. Maybe next year.

Tender Mercy

I believe in modern revelation. I believe that God still speaks to His children. I have felt Him speak to me many times.

But sometimes... when I really want something, or when a lot of emotions are attached... it's hard for me to know if what I'm feeling is coming from God or from my own thoughts.

Last night I was pondering the question, "How can I tell if this is an answer to my prayer, or my own thoughts?"

This morning I logged onto Facebook, and the first thing at the top of my news feed was the video below. The caption was "Have you ever asked yourself, 'Was that an answer to my prayer or just my own thoughts?'" :) A definite tender mercy. Thanks, Melissa, for posting that video!

Home Sweet Provo

It took me years to accept Provo as my home. I mean YEARS. I remember even my junior year at the Y, feeling like life in Provo was an extended vacation (but with classes, work, and homework!)--not somewhere I had settled down.

My last trip to Colorado was amazing, but I'm surprised how good it feels to be back here. It does feel like coming home. My life is here now.

Do I really want to leave?? I guess that's the ultimate question. I need to decide this month whether or not to renew my contract at this complex. I think I probably won't. I need to at least move on from this place! My housing contract lasts through August, so I guess I have until then to come up with my next step. And I'm not alone. Heavenly Father will help me know what to do.

Happy New Year!

The last two weeks have been amazingly relaxing. I only turned on my laptop a  couple times. I've been back in CS, chilling with my family just like old times. The kids were out of school, and I had a couple weeks off, so we spent a lot of time hanging out and goofing off.

 I'm grateful that we've had so many Christmases together! As families grow up, I know Christmases change. Missions, marriage, and moves make it so not everyone can be there every year, and not for a full glorious two weeks without any other responsibilities to worry about. But we've had a long stretch of all of us together, just enjoying our family time.

Yeah... I've become the family midget! Everyone assumes I'm the youngest too... Sheesh!

This is the last Christmas like that, though. 2014 will bring a lot of transitions. Kristie will graduate from high school and head off to college. Mom and Dad will become Empty Nesters. Jason will leave on his mission. Shauna will graduate from BYU and head out to wherever her first job takes her.

I'm about the only one who isn't facing a major transition for sure... Although I am toying with the idea of finally leaving Provo when my housing contract runs out in August (!!!!). I've lived in the same place for four years, and I've LOVED it there. I'm glad I stayed as long as I did. But... it's time for a change. That change might just be moving to south Provo, a little bit out of the BYU student scene. Or, it might be more drastic. I'm considering fulfilling a childhood dream and moving out to Arizona. Yay for no more snow! :)

There's also a slight chance I'll be changing jobs... Our company is funded by a government grant that runs out in September. The grant will probably be renewed and we'll probably be fine... but we don't know that for sure yet. Even if the grant is renewed, we will need to reapply, and there's a chance we won't be accepted this time. My coworkers all seem optimistic rather than worried, so I try to be the same. But, the end of the summer could potentially bring a lot of changes for me.

All this to say... Christmas next year will probably be a lot different. Jason won't be there (although we'll get to Skype him--missionaries get to Skype their families on Mother's Day and Christmas!). Depending on Shauna's job, she may or may not be there, and probably for not as long.

But no matter what happens and how spread out we all get, we'll always love each other and we'll be together in spirit on Christmas day. :)

It will be interesting to see what this next year will bring!

Peace on Earth

Well, so far this holiday season hasn't shaped up to be quite what I expected, but it's been a good one! :) I think, when I came back from Thanksgiving, I had dreams of lazy evenings watching ABC Family Christmas movies, like when I was a kid. That hasn't quite happened. Most nights I'm busy with my calling or with my PREP instructor training or catching up on housekeeping tasks.

But life has been good. This last weekend especially! Melissa and I went to see BYU's annual Christmas Around the World. It's the Folk Dance team's annual show. It was beautiful! I'm so impressed by all the talented dancers at BYU... wish I could move like that! Seeing all the different cultures represented really makes me want to travel the world... although I suspect folk dance is a dying art in most places. Guys, our ancestors really knew how to groove! Why have we let that slip away??

Then, on Sunday night, Shauna and I headed up to Salt Lake for the Church's First Presidency Christmas Devotional... along with half our ward. :) My Relief Society president found out you can get tickets for free, without having to participate in a lottery or anything (like for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert). So she let us know, and everyone scrambled to get tickets. We must have gotten them around the same time, because most of us sat together in the same section. I will admit to being a bit hyper and excited to be there... I had a lot of fun goofing around with my friends beforehand.

And then of course the Devotional itself was amazing! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang like angels. My favorite talk was by Elder Nelson. His message was about finding peace through the Prince of Peace, the Savior.

So... things have been a little more hectic than I anticipated, but it's still been a great month so far! Here's to keeping that up! :)

Great quote I'm stealing from a friend's Facebook page

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” – Corrie Ten Boom

LOVE THIS.

Do you pray for God's help to guide you as you move forward, or do you only turn to Him when you're in trouble?

Best December Ever

I am determined to make this the best December ever.

It's a tall order, I know. And I have to be careful. Sometimes when you set up such a grand expectation... whatever happens seems like a disappointment.

Here is my line of thinking: this may be one of the least stressful Decembers of my life. I don't have to worry about finals anymore! I'm watching my poor friends scramble to prepare for those and I have to say, I don't miss that.

It's interesting. I haven't had finals in a year and a half, but I've had major work projects going on for the last two finals weeks... so I was just as stressed as my roommates. So far, it's not looking like that will happen. Fingers crossed.

So, no finals. Just working, with my evenings off. I've been busy the last couple months with things like becoming trained as a PREP Inc. Instructor, but that's over now, which means I will have some free time.

I need to use that free time wisely. This is the time of year when we should be serving others, right? I need to make that happen.

I also need to keep up my streak of being social all the time and going out to do fun things.

And... I should probably work on writing my novel a bit... that was a New Year's Resolution I've been neglecting. Good thing there's still a little time!

I am going to work on all of these things, and I am going to have the best December ever. :) Here goes!