the graduate.

freshman year.

sophomore year.

junior year.

senior year.

When writing this post, I decided to include random self portraits. Turns out I've changed my hair a LITTLE during the past 3.5 years, though that's beside the point & really not relevant to this post.
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Last week marked my final week of finals (until grad school ... one day).

I can't believe that one day, I'm a college senior. And the next, I'm done. It still hasn't hit me yet that there are no more "first-days-of-school" photoshoots, no late nights at the library or the ELC, no more amazon.com/half.com book buying, no keeping track of syllabi & homework & quizzes & assigned readings & presentations & group projects & tests & ...

Nope.

I'm done.

College graduate.

Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Spanish (hola ... kind of like "holla!" you know).

Who said I was old enough or ready to be a college grad?

Here comes reality. I can no longer say, "When I grow up, I want to be ..."

Nope. Now, I must go & do, or rather, go & be. The world is waiting.

PS. I will definitely track down a cap & gown for pictures, obviously.

new york, new york.

It's late. 
2 a.m.
I have 1, 001 thoughts swirling around in my mind right now. And I should go to bed. But, I have an exciting bit of news to share!

 

I have been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the New York New York South mission. AND I will be speaking Spanish. I report April 3. 

I feel like this is perfect for me, honestly. People would say, "You speak Spanish. I bet you'll go to South America!" but all along, I very easily saw myself going stateside, speaking Spanish. I'm so excited that I will get to use the language I've studied for years, and in New York, no less. I couldn't be happier right now. 

This is my favorite photo from the night. I opened my call in Cedar City with a few friends. But, I also had 5 very important people with me via FaceTime/phone calls. It was quite exciting. I'm sure they mostly heard screaming, but I'm glad they shared that moment with me!

My best friend Rebekah got her call in November. She will be going to Russia & we will be in the MTC at the same time, even for her birthday! I'm excited to share this journey with her.

I would love to tell you more at a later time ... after some sleep. But, here is one of my favorite quotes. I heard it a few months back when I was deciding about going on a mission. 

"We must put God at the forefront of everything else in our lives. When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. " -- Ezra Taft Benson

Exciting times are ahead! 

Also, my mission has a blog that the mission president's wife updates each week. How perfect for a social media freak like me, right? I've already read plenty of the posts ... 

new york, here i come...in a few months.

you have stolen my heart.

Dear Cedar City,

You have stolen my heart.

I never could have guessed that four years ago when I first visited campus as a high school senior that you would eventually play such a HUGE role in my life. I remember sitting for a presentation in the Starlight Room & looking out at the red rocks surrounding this little place.

A distinct thought came to me: "This is where I'm going to school."

What? No. I shook it out of my head. That wasn't my plan. BYU. That's where I planned to go. Yet, time and time again (3 times to be exact), I visited campus & left thinking, "I really liked it again, dang it." I was upset that where I was supposed to go was somewhere down south in a town I'd never heard of in between Parowan and Kanarraville (which I'd also never heard).

 Now, I have less than a week of class. Just three finals. And I'll be done with my degree. An SUU graduate in communication & Spanish. Wow.

Time really flew these past 3.5 years. I can't imagine my life without the dear people I've met at SUU in it. My best friends. The professors who chat with me on the way to class, in Walmart, who take my class to IHOP for international pancake day, sing Christmas carols while horseback riding, or write a special note on my test because I didn't do as well as they knew I could.

The roommates (and non roommates who practically are roommates) who have become my best friends ... who have seen my SILLY, crazy, weird side & still spend time with me (SHOCKER). The people who have given me rides to countless places due to my lack of transportation, endured an hour in the grocery store with me so I could price match ads, who invite me to Taco Tuesday, Krave, and St. George Temple trips.

I thought I was a pretty outgoing person in high school, but even that changed in college. I shared my talent (and had friends who would listen, offer feedback, and encourage me to continue writing music) at SUU Idol, open mic nights, SUU's Got Talent, Miss SUU, backyard concerts and ward/stake talent shows.

I tried new things. Newspaper. Editing. Presidential Ambassador. Certified tour giver. Tele-counselor. Department representative. Intern. Radio show host. Horseback rider. Rock climber. Graphic design wannabe. Traveler.

I fell in love for the first time at SUU.

I fulfilled a dream of studying abroad, which influenced my decision to minor in Spanish.

I could go on for hours sharing memories of this town, this school, these people who have impacted me so greatly.

But, I think I have made my point -- how glad I am that a silly high school crush convinced me to attend an event at SUU. If he hadn't been an ambassador, let's be honest ... I might not have even given a thought to going on a campus tour. But he was, and I did.

Cedar City, a little town, holds a very big spot in my heart.

**I also posted a blog about SUU that has some favorite photos on the tbirdnation blog. You can read it here.

life lately

                 

I can sum up the last month of my life in one word: unpredictable. 

Do things ever really turn out the way we plan? I think this is a constant theme on my blog -- being surprised by what happens.

I've often heard that life is what happens when you stop making plans, and I suppose I've come to see the truth of that statement. Sometimes, in just one day, you become great friends with a coworker (the one pictured above). Courtney and I have been Presidential Ambassadors together for 2.5 years, have worked together for 1.5 years, and somehow, in the last month, she has become a treasured friend. We even traced it back to a simple conversation that happened at work. 

I think it's these random (though not-so-random to God) friendships that remind me how kind our Heavenly Father is to us. He knows exactly who to place on our path & when. This last semester (and especially month) has taught me much about His timing. It is truly better than ours, because He sees the whole picture. At times, I get so frustrated. I think, "But, this is what I want. This is what should happen. This is what is best."

Yet,  if I had it my way, how many lessons would I miss? How many friendships would not be developed? How many tiny miracles would I cease to see in daily life? How many blessings would I forfeit if I insisted things be done my way in my time? 

To quote an excellent talk given by President Henry B. Eyring in Oct. 2012 General Conference:

"His time should be soon enough for us since we know that He only wants what is best for us."  

Though life lately has been quite unpredictable, it is clear that I have also been blessed in countless ways -- through 2 a.m. FaceTime conversations, 25% off of a book for a final project, pillow talking with best friends, unexpected answers to prayer, phone calls with my siblings, holiday traditions with my mom, letters from missionaries at the perfect time, gentlemen who are really gentlemen, free Thursday dinner, wearing capris on a bike ride in November, #tbirdnation pride...the list could clearly go on & on.

So, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the unpredictability, I am quite thankful. 

the ugliest of them all.

I love a good ugly sweater party. Two years ago, I kicked off the holiday season with an ugly sweater bash. Last year I planned to, but ended up leaving town early for Thanksgiving. It was great to have a final hoorah this year before graduating. And there was quite the turnout! Pictures will do better justice than my words, so enjoy.

These faces were just so fitting for the occasion -- Also, Courtney won for ugliest sweater

Rebekah even accessorized with Santa earrings

Awkward Family Photos on the couch

People came and went, but this was the main group for the night. There are some ugly sweaters in that crowd!

Happy Holidays. If you're wanting to host a party this year, make it an ugly sweater occasion.