Looking Forward

I used to really enjoy keeping a blog. It was a good outlet. It kept my family updated.

But now I'm a little more grown up and don't need to vent my feelings. I manage my feelings easier. I have a great life. I own my home so I choose my roommates, I have a sweet cat, a fun- albeit small- garden, a great calling teaching little kids at my church, and sufficient money for my needs. I have Instagram to keep in touch with my family. Most of us are on Google Hangouts and spend a ridiculous amount of time chatting with each other all day.

But I mean, have you read my old blog posts? Not only were they fun to write, they're so fun to go back and read! I was really good at journaling while on my mission, but, like many other missionary-habits, pretty much stopped as soon as I came home. So maybe I'll start blogging again as a way to keep a journal, and have fun things to go back and read a few years later.

I'm quitting my job in a week and may or may not get another one soon after. Assuming I don't, here's what I'll be working on most intensely:

• losing thirty pounds
• reading Brandon Sanderson's Elantris
• cross-stitching a huge pattern of James Christensen piece Faith, Hope, and Charity
• getting swole
• my garden
• studying for the LSAT

Exciting, right? If you quit your job and had a free summer, what would you do? Is 31 years too old to blog your summer break?

First-Hand Experiences

Apparently we still blog?

Last week was my ward's conference. A member of the stake presidency taught the Relief Society lesson. He advised us to rely on first-person experiences when we have questions about the gospel.

It got me reflecting on my own personal experiences with God. Life hasn't turned out the way I thought it would. When I first started blogging, I still thought I was going to get engaged at 21 to a returned missionary, get married at 22, and then have a kid every two years until I had six. Ha ha. Good one! So far I am 29, completely single, a college graduate, a returned missionary myself, have started two separate career paths and been successful at both, a home owner, budding (get it?) gardener, have a chronic reproductive disease, and regularly vacillate between wanting to have a baby and being repulsed by pregnancy.

And I have a great life. God has been so good to me. Some may call this illogical and naive, but I view all the hurtful things we experience as a natural consequence of living in a fallen world, and view all of the redemptive experiences as a miraculous consequence of God's hand in our lives.

He gave me an unmistakable witness of the validity of His restored gospel during a (rare) moment alone on my mission. He gave me many professional mentors to help me grow up while I figured out how I wanted to support myself. I've been blessed to have wonderful, generous friends who teach me empathy and thoughtfulness. He's allowed me time alone to refine myself and find independent confidence, something I never could have done if I had married at 22. He's blessed me with courage and prompted me to see opportunities that 10 years ago would have scared the poo out of me. He comforts me when faint and reminds of bigger perspectives. Even this stupid disease has been a blessing. I take medication everyday that, as a side effect to its intended purpose, has completely eliminated my dramatic mood swings. I'm so much happier now than I was before I was diagnosed!

And of course, He gave me the most perfectly imperfect, most kick-a family a girl could ask for.

My first-person experiences with God are too sacred and other-worldly to write about. They can't be described with words. But the above paragraphs are a summation of what those experiences have given me.

Los Angeles

Drove nine hours, ate pizza, drove to TJ's for some shortbread cookies and saw some road rage on the way.  Terrifying.  The thing I have nightmares about except he has a gun in the car and tries to blow your brains out.  No gun in real life.  And even though he's totally psycho, LAPD is too busy to help.  Now we're watching Jane Eyre even though I should be unpacking and giving Cleo half of my stuff.  The 210 is heaven.  Although nobody really speeds anymore, and that's kind of disappointing.

Loving the palm trees, the humidity, my SIL baking a peach pie.  I LOVE L.A.

Shameless Request

Yesterday I spent an obscene amount of money on mission clothes.  John and Jenny are the only ones that know how much, and they won't tell you because they don't do that sort of thing.  Right?

I'm pretty much all done shopping except for a pair or two of flats to walk in and any other good winter skirts I find at DI.

So.  If you would like to get me something for my birthday (*cough* October 27th) I still need winter accessories.  Like, practical ones, not the ones that girls wear around downtown LA during November. Scarves, gloves, hats. Yup.

You know, if you would like to.

Shabby Apple

You lose.

I ordered the Ivory Tower and High Marks skirts.  The description says they are both satin and that the HM skirts has a satin lining.  Well, they are made from different fabrics and I can assure you that both skirts are full unlined.  The fits are awkward and there is no way the IT skirt would retain the defining pleats after the first washing.

What am I missing about Shabby Apple that's so great????

so I'm sitting here at work researching a jacket and

The phone rings.

It's some lady wondering if we have doll limbs.  We don't today and due to the constant dramatic changes in our inventory, the best thing is just to come in and look and see what we have. Okay but do you have the number for any other stores?  I can give you Provo's.  I have Provo and they gave me yours.  Okay... it really depends on how far you're wanting to drive.

Me:  If you go to providentliving.org there is a listing of all the Deseret Industries stores and you can find which one you're looking for.

Her:  Okay, now what is that again?

Me:  Provident living dot org.  It's a website that lists all of the DIs.

Her:  Okay. Provident... living... now is that d-o-t?

Me:  I'm sorry, what?

Her:  Those initials you gave me, what was it?

Me:  No, it's dot, like a period.  Provident living period org.  O-R-G

Her:  Oh, okay.  I misunderstood you.  Org, o-r-g, okay.  Thank you.

Me:  You're welcome.

Her:  Okay, now what's the number for that?

Me:  There is no number.  It's a website.

Her: Oh.

Hope I was wrong

I'm not a very good shopper.  Hate shopping for clothes.  Which is probably why I'm still single-- I look like a hobo on all of my dates.

Having been unable to find quality four season skirts within ten minutes of walking into various stores around Provo & Orem, I ordered TWO online from SHABBY APPLE.

They had some statement about how they've reworked their quality control process so I took a chance.  They should get here in a few days.  Spent a hundred bucks so THEY HAD BETTER WORK OUT.

templenacle

Gah!  I'm so excited for all the new temples!

Since taking on more covenants in the temple I've really come to have a deep respect for those saints who save for so long and journey so far to do the same.

I've been very blessed to have grown up so close to the L.A. temple and now live just a few minutes away from the Provo temple. And soon we'll have another here!  Crazy!

So I've had a lot of good learning experiences working for DI, but good grief I tell you this place sucks the life out of me!  Today I gave a verbal warning to one of my 60+ year old workers.  She didn't think she had warranted it.  As I was wrapping up our discussion she says to me, "You know, I'm a good girl!"  What kind of 60 year old refers to herself like that?

I'm looking forward to having more energy/enthusiasm/life after I leave.  Yikesssssssssss.

Between fifty-something year old women acting like 14 year old girls and white trash couples groping on the sales floor, I just feel once more the need to reiterate how excited I am to quit my job.

I now leave for your viewing pleasure:

I'm sorry, but

am I the only one who can't take ebooks seriously?

You can't take them into the tub with you, and I can't stare at a screen for that long anyway.  Please don't tell me they are the future.

two things

1) If you are going to set me up with some guy, please make sure he is not already dating someone kthx

2) To the nice man who let me turn right in front of him even though I was in the wrong lane because I tried to pull out ahead of the polygamy van that was blocking traffic by letting out the twenty women inside in the middle of the street just as they finished and raced to the corner of the intersection: THANK YOU!

referral plz

My credit card cycle just restarted.  (Yes I am back on credit.)  You know what that means...!

Time to buy MISSION CLOTHES!!!

So, I was going to hit up the BR outlet at Park City because they have amazing deals, but then I realized all their stuff is dry clean only or in need of ironing.  The only other place worthwhile I can think of is the Sister Missionary Mall in Orem.  But you know, everyone will have those clothes and I can't be a fashion conformist on my mission.

Here's what I need:
Colorful clothes (yep, it's a requirement now, we have to look cute)
Non-ironing
Machine washable
Skirts must cover my knees when sitting
Sleeves must cover my entire shoulder and then some (no cap sleeves)

Any ideas??
I'm thinking several cute dresses in addition to the usual mix-and-match skirt & blouse sets.

Please do not say Shabby Apple, because frankly they are overpriced for the cheap quality and they are for super tall girls.  Aaaaaaand no thrift stores kthx!

guys

I was being facetious when I said he was perfect (kind of).  And the sigh was because I know he's not the one.  Because...


I'm going on a mission!  Plus I am quitting my job and living in J&J's basement so how lame would that be if I continued to mooch off of them for a year while dating some boy.

Actually, when you put it like that it sounds pretty good....

should I totally delete all of my online accounts when I leave?

Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Google Plus, Linked In.  Kind of thinking about it.

I'm getting more and more excited to go.  One of my coworkers lent me this book called "18 Months."  It's a collection of essays by returned sister missionaries.  Love it.