"Remember" is a place from long ago . . .

"Long ago, far away, life was clear; close your eyes..."


Allow me to reminisce for just a moment as I reflect on the past year of my life, particularly my internship experience . . . .

Exactly one year ago from today I was leaving for Washington, D.C. to begin what would become the greatest adventure and best experience of my life! (so far)
Filled with large amounts of excitement, anxiety, and anticipation I boarded the plane . . . and that is where the story begins.

I have thought about Washington, D.C. every day since returning back in August. I long to go back there so much that it hurts. It literally hurts.

I was perusing through a blog the other day of a friend of a friend who recently returned from doing her internship in D.C. As I looked at pictures and read through stories, I was reminded of my own unique experiences that I had there; people who have become special to me, who have changed my life.

Here are some of the lessons that I learned while in D.C. :

• I have the ability to find and make friends in any place and in any situation.
• No matter where I go, I can always feel at home when I go to church and enter within the sacred walls of the temple.
• Time will rob you of experiences if you allow it; take advantage of every moment you have and make the best of it.
  
• I can make it out there on my own in the big city!
• Life never turns out how you expect it to.

I'll tell you one thing, a year ago I certainly didn't expect to find myself in the current situation that I'm in. Although my life isn't everything that I had hoped right now, I know that my expectations will be realized in the future. And I certainly can't deny the fact that I am learning lessons and making new friends along the way. . .

In commemoration of this great day, I thought I would include some of my absolute favorite Washington, D.C. pictures. I had a hard time narrowing it down so you're going to get a good 15 or more in no particular order . . .
Enjoy!

Mount Vernon

Just looking at this picture makes me crave a Potbelly's ice cream sandwich.
Nothing can compare!

This is where I worked - um, yeah, can you say amazing?

Some of my favorite "regulars" who would come into the fitness center.
These people are the best!

The amazing fitness center staff!

Concert at the Capitol - July 3rd.

Kayaking on my 22nd birthday!

Gotta love 5 Guys!

. . . and of course I had to include a picture of one our potlucks.

Best sushi I have ever tasted!

movie night

David in his infamous baby-blue polo.

Cupcakes on Ashley's 21st birthday.

My last evening in D.C.

What little boys are made of . . .

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to babysit my little nephew, Eli, and his older brother Nathan. They are both so adorable!


As you can see, baby Eli is not so little anymore. He will be one year old on June 26th! I can't believe it. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I got the phone call telling me that I was an aunt: I was in downtown Washington, D.C. (Chinatown to be exact) with some of my best friends. It had been an uneventful night of wandering and we were just getting in the car to drive home when I got the call. I was so excited and overcome with emotion. I had no idea you could love somebody immediately without even meeting them.


Since it is an open adoption, we get to see Eli every few months. His whole family is so great, and I love having the opportunity to occasionally see them and spend time with them. I am looking forward to attending Eli's first birthday party next month!

A rude awakening

Lately, as I have had plenty of time to contemplate my life and the direction I am headed, I thought that I had finally settled on something that I want to do when I grow up. As many of you know, I have a passion for health and the human body as well as caring for other people. Why not become a nurse? I questioned myself. I talked myself through the fact that I may have to clean many a dirty bed (which had held me back from considering this option sooner), and resolved that I would just have to grin and bear it, because all the other work I would be doing would make it so worth it. Finally I had found direction! You have know idea how exciting this is after you have been floundering around in a sort of limbo for the past five months! I began researching schools, financial aid options, prerequisite requirements, and so on. It felt so good to be working towards something.
Well, all my plans and dreams were rudely interrupted and cut short this morning as I was reminded of the fact that I don't do well with blood. I never have been able to stomach it, and fear that I never will. Heaven help me when I have small, adventurous children who will surely sustain scraped knees, cuts, and possible broken bones. . .
My mother cut her finger while working out on the deck yesterday and asked me this morning to help her find any possible slivers that may have remained in the wound. Looking at the cut alone already made me feel a little queasy, but I decided to face my fears and help. My job was to peel back the skin with a pair of tweezers while she dug around (literally) in her finger to find stray pieces of wood. The cut started oozing blood and, much to my dismay, I just couldn't handle it. I was absolutely no help to my mom and had to leave the room. I could hardly stand without feeling woozy. Pathetic. I was reminded of similar instances where that same feeling would flood through my body, like the time I tried to help my dad remove stitches from the horse, or when I had to have blood drawn, or even times when I would cut myself shaving in the shower. Super pathetic.
Now I am back to square one trying to figure out some other medical career that piques my interest and that does NOT involve blood. I am open to suggestions . . . .

My Dad's Wedding!

As promised, here are some pictures from my dad's wedding! I am hoping to get more pictures later since all the ones I took are on Chris's camera. It was such an awesome experience to be there for the wedding, and it made me feel good to see my dad so happy. :) He couldn't stop smiling. Amber and I had to tease him about being nervous beforehand too. How many girls get that opportunity?

The wedding ceremony

Here is my dad and Chris with my four new step-brothers: Bobby, Zac, Grady, and Trenton.

Nana, Grandpa, Dad, and Chris


Me showing off the card that Amber and I made for the newlyweds.


And of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take pictures of ourselves . . . being goofy.

On a happier note . . .

I have realized that my most recent post may have been less than cheerful, so I have decided to write about all the happy things in my life!

Item #1: As promised, David came to Rexburg to visit me (oh, and his twin brother). We went to Craigo's (best pizza ever!) and then played catch in the backyard. This resulted in the large, nasty bruise that is now on my shin - but as a disclaimer, this is through no fault of David's but of my own idiocy. A word to the wise: don't ever try to stop the ball with your shin, or any other body part for that matter. Just stick with the glove or move out of the way if worse comes to worst. All in all, it was a good time though. Thanks for coming up to blustery Rexburg David!

Item #2: My dad is getting married on Saturday! You heard right, that's in t-w-o days. Crazy! While this could potentially be an awkward or unpleasant event, I am very happy and excited for my dad and Chris. They make a great couple and I wish them all the best. Want to hear what's even more crazy though? I will now have four step-brothers. Whoa. Amber and I will no longer be in the majority. Pictures from the wedding shortly to come!

Item #3: Thank heavens for the church! I absolutely love my ward and the people in it. It took me awhile, but once I started getting involved in things like choir and volleyball it just clicked. I've been blessed to have made so many friends in the few short months that I have been there. I have also been blessed to serve in two church callings as a Relief Society teacher and as choir pianist. Just last Monday we held a special musical fireside in which I accompanied six different songs, which it turned out quite well if I do say so myself. I have been grateful for the excuse to be at the piano so much. Love it!

Life is good. :)

Patience

I feel the need to write once again and give an update on my life and thoughts. Another semester started today at BYU-Idaho and I find myself so jealous of all those starting school again. What I wouldn't give to be busy again, to have a schedule and daily routine that I can slip into. I came home last night and cried just thinking about it. My friends whom I have been spending time with will once again have obligations and responsibilities to attend to. I find myself too often thinking that life is just not fair. All around me I hear about people finding jobs, and here I am after four months still without one. It makes me wonder what I am doing wrong. These past few months have been very difficult for me and I have become bitter because I am not getting what I want. Then I look back and realize that all my thoughts are about me me me.
I read an amazing talk today called "Continue in Patience" by President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency of the Church and found so much comfort in it. Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

"Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. [ . . .] the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, [ . . .] we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

"As parents, we know how unwise it would be to indulge our children’s every desire. But children are not the only ones who spoil when showered with immediate gratification. Our Heavenly Father knows what good parents come to understand over time: if children are ever going to mature and reach their potential, they must learn to wait.

"I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort. [ . . .] Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

"Impatience, on the other hand, is a symptom of selfishness. It is a trait of the self-absorbed. It arises from the all-too-prevalent condition called “center of the universe” syndrome, which leads people to believe that the world revolves around them and that all others are just supporting cast in the grand theater of mortality in which only they have the starring role.

"Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can’t see the Lord’s hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.

"Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most."

I love this talk, and as you can see, my favorite "excerpts" consist of about half of it. :)

I know that as I exercise patience, I will be blessed. There must be something that I need to learn right now, and experiences that I can gain that will help me later in life. Because of this period of time I will be able to more fully appreciate the blessing of work when it does come. I will be able to look back on this time in my life and see the Lord's hand in it. With the help of my mom, I have realized that right now I need to focus on the blessings that I do have, and all the things I have to be grateful for. If we are grateful for what we have now, we will be blessed with more. The Lord knows what's best for me and I trust that everything will work out. To quote a movie, "Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself."

P.S. The weather has been absolutely beautiful since my last blog post and I am grateful for that.

Seriously?!

Can we just be done with the snow . . . PLEASE? I mean come on, it's April 13th. Easter has come and gone and yet it looks like Christmas-time outside. Today I ask myself the question that keeps coming up over and over: Why do I live here? The past few days were so nice and then out of the blue, here comes the snow again. Mother Nature is apparently not done torturing us yet. It's hard to believe that just yesterday I was outside playing softball in the backyard with Amber, Colter, and our puppy Sydney. It was practically perfect. And now, 24 hours later, we could go sledding in the backyard. Ridiculous. I fought the temptation to stay inside all day in my pajamas and read books and drink hot chocolate, and am now doing my best to be as productive as an unemployed person can be. . . the mere fact that I am blogging right now tells you that I am doing a great job. :) For those of you who are not in Rexburg right now, consider yourselves lucky.