The Update: Finding My Meaning and Fulfillment

Work started up again yesterday, and now I am back into the full swing of things! While I did enjoy having almost three weeks to myself, I am a definitely a girl who loves structure. Clearly, my goal to blog every day did not happen, but I did blog more than normal. I also struggled to meet some of my other goals, but I came out with a list of things that fulfill me and add meaning to my life, which was the main point. All in all, I'd consider my "project" to be a success. Here's how it all shaped out.

- Aim for 30 minutes of gospel study each day. This didn't quite happen. I still made time for the gospel every day, but most of the time it wasn't for 30 minutes. I still had some great experiences though.

- Answer one list of getting to know me questions every day. I did enjoy this at first, but then it became a chore, so I dropped it. Oh well. 

- Learn something new. I had planned to get on Skillshare. That did eventually happen, but not until Monday. Success? You decide. Or don't, because you know, this is my project after all.

- Blog every day. We've already established this wasn't something I did very good at. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do as far as blogging is concerned.

- Spend time doing things I enjoy. I think I definitely did that. I went on a road trip that involved camping and hiking and two national/state parks. I read, I watched Gilmore Girls, I exercised. I think all of those things definitely qualify.

- Read one new book. Sadly, this did not happen. I'm still looking for any recommendations you may have though!

- Improve my athletic training knowledge. This didn't happen the way I planned, but with school starting again, I've found myself working on a new certification. Definitely counts. 

- Embrace my likes and dislikes. Done!

I've thought a lot about where I am in life and who I am and what I am like. I have to say, I am happy to be me. I'm proud of who I am and where I've gotten, and I feel so blessed to be me. I know that there are people out there who may not be able to say that about themselves, which makes me all the more grateful for that self-confidence (for lack of a better word). 

I was able to come up with a small list of things that bring fulfillment and meaning into my life:

1. The gospel of Jesus Christ + feeling the Holy Ghost

2. Being physically active

3. Being creative.

4. Spending time with other people (which sounds a little funny, coming from a solid introvert)

5. Reading

6. Being productive

Here's to living MY best life. 

Also, a couple of things I'm loving lately, for my/your enjoyment. 

The new journaling edition of the Book of Mormon from Line Upon Line. I just got my beautiful book yesterday, and I can't wait to read it!

I also found (thanks to Line Upon Line) a gorgeous General Conference study guide from Work and Wonder. This workbook/study guide is geared specifically toward this coming October 2018 General Conference. I just ordered it yesterday, and I am so excited for it to come!

I get the occasional email from Bloglovin', highlighting different blog posts from around the web. I tend not to read them very quickly, leaving them to pile up in my inbox until I dedicate some time to reading the ones that catch my eye. I'm not really spending money right now (besides the general conference workbook), but if I did, you can bet I'd be buying one of these bags. I might have a small bag/purse obsession.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy hump day!

Life Experiences: Buying a Car

Yesterday I took took a giant step into real adulthood and bought a car! I'm still amazed at how quickly it happened - I applied for a loan and found the car all in the same day. Before I bought it, I struggled to understand the process of actually buying a used car. There have been several moments in my life where the process seems too lengthy or too much out of my comfort zone (like getting my driver's license, applying to the athletic training program, going to grad school) and I wonder if I'll ever actually do it. This was one of those moments, but the process ended up being much easier than I thought! 

Buying a car was actually a bit of a confidence boost for me. I was able to prove to myself yet again that I can do hard things (buying a car may not actually be all that difficult, but it sure seemed like it beforehand). I learned that there are always people there to help you out, people who know much more than I do. I couldn't have done it without both of my parents and the people at the bank (whom I called or visited three times yesterday to get everything figured out); plus the sweet lady I worked with at the DMV was just the icing on the cake. She was seriously so sweet and made me feel even more confident and like I've got life figured out (which I don't, I promise). 

This car buying process actually ties in quite nicely to my thoughts from Sister Joy D. Jones' BYU Education Week devotional. She talked a lot about enticements and how we react to them. We must act rather than react, as we've all heard before. I walked away from the devotional struck by two thoughts:

Every experience is an opportunity for spiritual growth.

My life depends largely on my perspective.

I loved loved loved her talk. I'm still trying to figure out how to find spiritual growth in every experience, but I believe her completely that we have constant opportunities to grow spiritually. If I stop and think about this car buying experience, I have learned that God is always looking out for us (being able to buy this car was a definite tender mercy. Everything fell into place so perfectly). He answers our prayers not just with feelings but with life circumstances and experiences. He places people in our path to guide us and teach us along the way.

I think that if I can work on both learning how to spiritually progress from seemingly ordinary/non-spiritual experiences and shift my perspective to a more eternal/grand-scheme-of-things one, I will be well on my way toward a more meaningful and fulfilled life.

Happy Thursday!

Creativity

I definitely spaced blogging both yesterday and Sunday. I realized I forgot to write as I got into bed each night, but one of the rules I set at the beginning of this was that if I didn't want to do it, I didn't have to. I'm back and ready to roll today though!

Today I'm very intrigued by the concept of creativity. Not that anything in my life today has been notably creative; I've just been doing basic adult life things. I've been thinking a little bit about creativity though, and it amazes me that the essence of creativity is bringing something to existence that wasn't there before. It's unique to everyone - the idea may be the same but the process and result will be different. Hamilton wouldn't be Hamilton without Lin Manuel Miranda. The music of Queen wouldn't be what it is without each member of the band. You get what I'm saying, right? It just amazes me. 

That's all I've got for you today. We're talking enticements and agency and experiences. 

See you then!

Farmers' Markets

It's been a pretty quiet day around here. My roommate and I are in the process of moving (shout out to having family living close by that are willing to help out), so that's consumed most of our day. We like to add a little excitement to our lives, though, so we've started going to the local farmers' market!

If you live around Provo, the farmers' market on Center Street is the best. One of my favorite things in life is street markets (which is probably why I loved Argentina and Chile so much), and Provo definitely delivers. The staples are there, of course; you can't have a farmers' market without fresh produce and homemade goodies! Several local artisans and a few businesses like to set up shop there as well and it just makes my heart so happy. So far I've bought ebelskivers (Danish pancakes that are nothing like our pancakes), fresh peaches (yum!), and cinnamon & sugar pita chips. It's become a Saturday morning tradition. I highly recommend stopping by. 

I'm not saying that going to a farmers' market is what brings meaning and fulfillment to my life, but in a way I am. Farmers' markets are something I really enjoy. Part of my project includes embracing myself and doing things that I love, both of which are very fulfilling and bring joy to my life. Even though today was very practical and there were things I had to get done, I still took the time to do something for me. So, I'd say that day three was a success! 

More Than I Bargained For

Here we are, day 2, and I already tried something new and way outside of my comfort zone.

Today is my dad's birthday. He loves donating platelets and he's always after the rest of our family to give blood. My stake just happened to be having a blood drive today, so I decided to donate blood for the first time as my birthday gift to him. Oh, what an adventure we had.

Before I get into the story, I'd like to share a few things I learned from the experience. 1. Eating a full meal before donating is very important. 2. Drinking water and being well hydrated before donating is very important. 3. Don't turn down the Red Cross workers when they offer you snacks and drinks.

Based on those three things, you can probably guess what happened today. No, I didn't pass out, but I came very, very close. The needle was much bigger than I was expecting (anyone who tells you that donating blood is similar to having your blood drawn is lying) and of course I made the mistake of watching it go in (because I had been told donating blood = blood draw and I'm totally fine with having my blood drawn). I got a strong head rush as soon as that needle slid into my vein. I got nauseous after a minute or two, then very nauseous. They had to lay me down and give me cool, wet cloths to put on my forehead and neck. I was so hot and clammy and sweaty and I couldn't wait for it to be over. 

Angels do exist, my friends, and some of them exist in the form of the Red Cross phlebotomists. I was so blessed to have the cutest phlebotomist at my side pretty soon after I got really nauseous. She talked to me so that I wouldn't pass out and got me juice and pretzels and she was just so sweet. Bless her, bless her, bless her. My poor dad was in the middle of a meeting over the phone (he arranged it so he could come with me to the donation appointment) and was trying to help me out while paying attention to the meeting. Nevertheless, I'm so glad he came with me.

I made it through giving a whole pint of blood. There was no way I was going to end the donation early if it meant that they couldn't use my blood (I didn't know that was a thing either until today), so I stuck it out. I'm so glad I did, but mostly I'm so, so glad it's over so that I never have to do it again. (Never say never, of course, but those are my current feelings about donating blood.)

There is photographic proof that I donated, but for now I don't think the internet needs to see me in all of my white-as-a-sheet, I-look-like-a-corpse glory. Maybe if you ask really nicely I might think about showing it to you. Unless, of course, you get to my dad first. 

Happy birthday, dad. Thanks for pushing me to do something totally outside of my comfort zone that might actually help to save lives. You're pretty great, and I'm so blessed to have you as my dad.

Finding My Meaning and Fulfillment

Today is the first day of my two day summer break. 

What?

I consider today and tomorrow to be my actual summer break since those are the only two days this summer that I'm both school and work free. I was in school from mid-May to the beginning of August, and I start back up again on Monday. The training room officially closed yesterday and will stay that way until BYU starts up again (after Labor Day). So there you go: August 16 and 17 are my real summer break. 

I still consider the 19 days that I have off of work to be my summer break though, since my class load is pretty light this semester. I decided that since I basically have 19 free days I need to make them count. Lately I've thought a lot about living a meaningful/fulfilling life and how to do that. Starting today, I'm taking advantage of my break to spend some time getting to know myself, a "project" that I'm calling Getting to Know Me: Finding My Meaning and Fulfillment. I want to get to know myself better on both deep and superficial levels, taking time to figure out what makes me happy and what fulfills me. 

To do that, I've come up with a list of several things that I would like to do throughout the next 2.5ish weeks. As I made this list last night, I began to feel a little overwhelmed/stuck as far as what I was asking myself to do. So, I set a rule: if I don't do something or don't want to do something, it's perfectly okay. This "project" is about me and what I need and want, so I'm not going to try to worry about meeting specific goals. It's a time of experimentation and following my feelings, and I'm pretty excited about it. 

Getting to Know Me: Finding My Meaning and Fulfillment

Aim for 30 minutes of gospel study each day. I definitely feel better about myself and about life when I have the Holy Ghost with me. It can be difficult for me to maintain that throughout the day, so I'm trying to spend more time in the scriptures/General Conference talks to improve my spiritual health and fulfillment.

Answer one list of getting to know me questions every day. There are tons of lists of these on Pinterest that I've saved, so I'm excited to finally use them and dig a little deeper.

Learn something new - maybe even get on Skillshare? I love reading the blog Wit and Delight, and it's motivated me to be more creative. I like to think I'm a creative person, so for this project I want to hone in on that a little more.

Blog every day. I also really enjoy writing and it's something I want to do more of. I have also had many internal debates about what I want to do with my blog; my hope with this goal is to finally make a decision.

Spend time doing things I enjoy.

Read one new book. Hit me with any suggestions you have! I'm not a huge sci-fi/fantasy reader, but I love contemporary novels, historical fiction, Christian romance (yes, that's an actual genre!), and self-help. 

Improve my athletic training knowledge. 

Embrace my likes and dislikes; don't be embarrassed about them or brush them aside!

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I kicked today off by letting myself stay in bed longer, baking peach scones (with my new Kitchenaid!), and indulging in some Friends and a good book.

You'll be hearing a lot more from me for the next few weeks. I'll probably share these blog posts on Facebook and/or Instagram, but you know where to find me if I don't!

If you have any suggestions or thoughts about this little project of mine, or about finding meaning and fulfillment in your own life, I'd love to hear it!

Happy Thursday!

Self-Caring

Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with everything that's going on in your life? Like you don't have time to even sit down and breathe because you have so much to do?

That was me today. I've spent the last two days working exclusively on my thesis, even though I have an anatomy test next Thursday and a bajillion things I need to study to feel ready to take it. About 20 minutes into class today I found myself so tired and bogged down, and I think my professor said it best:

Some days it's just hard to exist. 

I'm not ashamed to admit that internally I screamed AMEN. Then he said something even better, and it went something like this:

I mostly have really good days and even my bad days are probably someone else's good days. 

Perspective, people. I feel like I can say the same. I mostly have really good days and even my bad days are probably someone else's good days.

Things got better after I got a little chocolate in me and started moving around a bit. However, I still decided to take the day off from studying and take the time for a little self-care.

A girl in my ward recently posted a survey on her Instagram account asking about people's self-care habits. Because of that I've been thinking about it a little bit more and how I can take better care of myself.

Boom. Perfect opportunity.

I did a 10-minute meditation practice on the train ride home from class. (I'm trying out the Calm app on her recommendation/suggestion.)

I met my sister and her boyfriend at a food truck round up and indulged in a wonderful dinner of street tacos and doughnuts from Art City Donuts. 

--side note: I highly, highly recommend the book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works. It will change your view of food and eating and life in general. I even picked up some good parenting tips--

I nitpick-cleaned parts of our kitchen, something that I actually found really satisfying.

Three words: lavender bath bomb.

I wrote in my journal.

Guys. I feel so much better right now. I'm not even stressed about the amount of not studying I'm done today. 

Essentially, this is a blog post of me promoting self-care and telling you that it really worked for me. 

I'll leave you with one more quote:

Love yourself enough to take care of yourself. 

--John F. Barnes

Happy almost weekend!!

(because every weekend deserves fireworks)

Mountains vs. Beaches

I think if I had to choose between living by the mountains or living by the beach, I would choose the mountains. (I know. Most of you are probably gasping right now, but it's true.) I love the green and the feeling of separation from the world. More people tend to flock to the beach than the mountains, I think. I'm sure that I'm swayed because I've lived in Utah my whole life and there's kiiind of a shortage of beaches around here. 

I do really enjoy the beach though. For the most part anyway. I can't say I'm a huge fan of getting sand all over the place, but I do generally enjoy a trip to the beach. Basically, this is a really long, roundabout way of saying that last month I went to Hawaii for the first time.

Guys, I'm totally sold on the fresh fruit and the mostly consistent warm weather and the wide variety of activities. Because I stayed home for a few days after my family left so that I could go to class, I only ended up being there for about 4.5-5ish days. It was still a pretty great 5 days though (and my sleep schedule still has not recovered from it).

We stayed at an Airbnb in a little town called Naalehu on the island of Hawai'i (also sold on the Airbnb after this trip - having a house to come back to every night was SO nice). Here's some of the highlights from things we did/saw on this trip:

--black sand beach + a sea turtle--

--watching the sunset & stargazing on Mauna Kea--

--hiking through a crater at Volcanoes National Park--

--swimming in the ocean--
*there was a sea turtle swimming right by us (!!!), but unfortunately, getting a good picture was impossible*

--waterfalls on the rainforest side of the island--

This waterfall is called Rainbow Falls. It's really faint, but I managed to get a picture of the rainbow.

I've also included some of my favorite pictures from the trip. I took so many, and I was really happy with how a lot of them turned out!

Did I mention how much I love the green? I didn't anticipate seeing so much greenery in Hawai'i, but it was beautiful and absolutely perfect.

10/10 would recommend vacationing in Hawai'i. Even if you like the mountains.

Finding Balance

I've set a goal to start blogging more than I have been. I love reading other people's blogs, and I figure, how can I expect them to post when I don't post that much? I would like to start posting more regularly. I blog because I enjoy writing like this and to kind of keep others updated on the goings-on in my life.

Currently, I'm taking a personal finance self-reliance class through my stake. We talked about balance during our class this past week, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you.

Why are we proud of being so busy? Elder Uchtdorf said it perfectly:

"[W]e even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life. Is it?" (To see the video I got this from, click here. If you want to read the full talk, click here.)

Isn't it better to be productive than to simply be busy? We can be busy without being productive, and we can be productive without being overly busy. Instead of being proud of being busy, be proud of what you truly should be proud of. Don't focus on the long list of to-dos in your planner. Focus on what you got done, on who you served, on how you feel about yourself and the people around you!

In the video, Elder Uchtdorf talks about the life of Jesus Christ. He didn't pack anything and everything He could into His schedule. Instead, He was mindful, purposeful, and present. He perfected these "trends" long before they even became "trends!" His focus was on the people around Him and on His Father.

To provide a little more perspective, imagine yourself in 25 years. Look back on how you are living your life now, and ask yourself the following:
Will I regret doing _________?
Will I regret not doing ______?

I have two more quotes to share that I love.

"Just do the very best you can each day. Do the basic things." - M. Russell Ballard, "Keeping Your Life in Balance," Liahona, 9/2012.

"Balance in large measure is knowing the things that can be changed, putting them in proper perspective, and recognizing the things that will not change." - James E. Faust, "The Need for Balance in Our Lives," Ensign, 03/2000.

To achieve greater balance in my life, I decided to try two things. Every night, I write down my goals and my priorities for the next day in my planner. Priorities are things that need to get done, and goals are simply goals that I have for that day. Here's an example for tomorrow.

I've really liked setting goals and priorities each day. I'm definitely not the best at it, but it's been good so far! If any of you guys have ideas for bringing balance into your lives, I'd love to hear them!

In honor of this post about balance, and to prove once and for all that I am a Star Wars nerd, here's a picture for your (and mostly my own) viewing pleasure:

Happy Sunday!

Why do we label?

Here we are. It's February 4, and it's my first post of the new year. I have started writing a couple of posts, but clearly nothing has made it onto my blog so far. I will do a more general life update soon, but since it's Sunday and I've had some thoughts floating around in my head today, I thought I'd share.

With the new Relief Society/Priesthood meeting curriculum starting this year, today was our second council meeting. My ward Relief Society decided to discuss the role of women. We based our discussion off of an amazing talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley in the 1991 October General Conference, called Daughters of God. You can read it here. We had some great discussion during Relief Society, and my roommate and I continued to discuss some things when we got home. The thing that has stuck with me most as I've thought about both discussions today is labels.

Why do we label ourselves?

It's become pretty common, I feel, to label ourselves based on something we've experienced or something that we do. I'm a teacher, I'm a dancer, I can't meet expectations, I'm clumsy, I have depression, I'm a cancer survivor, I have anxiety. The list goes on and on and on. Why do we label ourselves based on things that happen to us or things that we experience or things that we do? Why do we let those things define who we are?

Now, I'm not saying that none of those things are important, because they most definitely are. What we do is a huge part of our lives. Our experiences are a huge part of our lives. The things we struggle with are a huge part of our lives. They very much shape who we are and how we act and feel and think and communicate. Everything we have ever done/will do and everything we have ever experienced makes up a large part of who we are, and that's beautiful and necessary.

But what about our divine identity?

A couple of sisters in Relief Society talked about seeing ourselves the way God sees us. To Him, we are His beloved sons and daughters. The way I see it, everything we have the potential to become all hinges on that divine truth. The young women of the church say it every Sunday: We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. I wish the young men repeatedly told themselves that they are sons of our Heavenly Father who loves them. I wish we all could see more clearly that our most defining factor is our divine heritage. 

So, my challenge to you all this week is to see yourself as a beloved, treasured child of God, and let that fact define you. Allow yourself to see yourself as God sees you and to take on an eternal perspective. Let His light and His love flood your life. Value yourself the way He values you. Step outside the walls you've built for yourself and let Him build you up and define you.

Happy Sunday.

These are a few pictures I took a few weeks ago, for your viewing enjoyment. 

Thanksgiving 2017

I could make a list about everything that needed to get done this last week, but quite honestly, this Thanksgiving break was exactly what I needed.

For some reason, the University of Utah likes to have classes the day before Thanksgiving, so my professor took the opportunity to have us take the practical portion of our 3 part final. I finished with that pretty early, so I was in the clear from about 9:30 on!

My family went up to my aunt's family's cabin in Wyoming for Thanksgiving. It was just us, my grandparents, and my dad's older brother's family (minus two of their kids). It was almost perfect - perfect would have meant snowfall. 

We went for a ride in the Razor, ate great food, and watched Wonder Woman. I got to sleep in, I read a lot, we went for a walk/hike in the dark, we played games, and essentially just relaxed. Did I mention that it was exactly what I needed?

When I was little, we would go down to Richfield and cut down our Christmas tree. Emma decided she was missing out on this experience, so we got a permit and cut down a Christmas tree for ourselves this year! Finding a tree is a lot harder than you would think, but it was so nice to be out in the quiet, among the trees and the snow. Cutting the tree down and putting it on top of the car was an adventure, but we have a tree! Emma is ecstatic. 

I have plans to blog more this week, but we'll see how that pans out since I have finals and final projects and papers coming up this week and next. 

Happy Sunday!

Cliche Ahead: I'm Back!

I'm back!

I never intended to take a blogging hiatus, but, as it turns out, I did. I've been reading a blog on and off lately, and the writer has mentioned a few times how much she loves blogging. Well, I love blogging too, so here I am.

Life has changed a lot since I last posted in February. 

I graduated from BYU.

I became a certified athletic trainer. 

I performed and toured in Chile and Argentina for almost a month.

I finished my time as a ballroom dancer.

I started at a new job.

I began school as a graduate student at the University of Utah. 

I moved back home and then into a new apartment.

My life has changed so much, and yet it seems like it's hardly changed at all. I love what I'm doing, I love my program (despite the commute, which means early, long days). It all just feels so right. If you'd asked me how I felt about it all a couple of months ago, my answer would have been different. I've grown into this new phase of my life though, and I love it. 

I'm going to make more of an effort to post more frequently. I love it when my friends post on their blogs consistently, so I'm going to try to do the same. Currently, I'm hoping for twice a week, but we'll see how it goes. I want to share things that I'm learning, both as an athletic trainer and as a human being, I want to share what's going on in my life, and I want to share what I'm working on. Here's to new beginnings!

Fish Out of Water

You know how sometimes you have those weeks that push you completely out of your comfort zone? 

This past week was one of those.

found on Pinterest from Pixar Post

Definitely a week of fish out of water experiences, although maybe not as thrilling as Dory & Nemo & Marlin's. 

It was also one of the craziest I've had in a while: two performances, my big certification exam, and a weekend-long interview for a graduate school. I also finished it off by attending another church's worship services for a class.

The shows were fabulous. I love performing with my team, I love dancing, and I love meeting people afterward. In this case, I also met two very special people before the show even started. I was leading the warm-up in the backstage area when security showed up with Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife! Of course, we all started fangirling pretty hard and stopped the warm-up so that we could all shake his hand and meet him. And then he stayed for the show. What? Pretty cool.

I also met a little girl after our last show that was initially very shy around the three guys I was with, but warmed right up to me. She even invited me to her house and told me we could dance together. Definitely one of my favorite meet-and-greet moments.

In the middle of all of this performing craziness, I took the Board of Certification exam for athletic training (fingers crossed that I passed!) and then left for a weekend interview at one of the graduate schools I applied to. I was definitely a fish out of water there. After meeting everyone, I definitely did not feel qualified, and it was a very different atmosphere than I am usually in. Hopefully though, I rocked my interviews, and I think I find out this week (gah!) if I'm accepted and get an assistantship. 

I ended the crazy, fish-out-of-water-y week by visiting the Adventure Church in American Fork. Continue imagining this fish out of water. It was a very different experience, but I loved the music. Picture a drum set, a keyboard, a base guitar, an electric guitar or two, an acoustic guitar, and several vocalists. Not what you would typically think a church service would include, but I'm here to tell you that it was beautiful and I totally felt the Spirit. Everyone there came specifically to worship God, and some of them physically manifested their worship and love of God. 

I loved how God-centered it was. I feel like I sometimes lose focus of God and Jesus Christ and pay more attention to all the things I should be doing without thinking about why I'm doing them. It was a beautiful reminder, and I highly recommend taking on a similar experience. I think that learning about other religions and ways that people worship is very eye-opening and enlightening. Everyone has their own way of "loving on God," as one of the worship team members said today, and I love it.

found on Pinterest from instagram.com

Happy Sunday!

2-0-1-6

I know you're all dying to read my cliche, overdone post about how 2016 went for me. Honestly, I get a little upset when I scroll through Facebook and see all the posts about how terrible 2016 was and how ready everyone is to move into 2017. I'm just as excited as the next person for what 2017 will bring, but I also think that 2016 was really good. 

I finally made the transition back to being blonde. It's true, blondes have much more fun ;). 

I visited two big cities that I had never been to before - San Francisco and Washington DC. 

I fulfilled one of my National Treasure nerd dreams by visiting Mount Rushmore (Washington DC also fulfilled a couple of those).

I learned more about taking care of myself, and made a few much needed changes in my life. 

I started a new adventure on the BYU Ballroom Dance Company touring team, and, let me tell you, it's been a blast so far (a very tiring blast, but a blast nonetheless).

I applied for graduate school.

I studied hard, but also made sure there was plenty of time for fun.

I also attended way more BYU sporting events than I ever have before - women's soccer, football, and men's basketball. 

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I've got a lot of big plans moving into 2017 as well.

I'll be taking my certification exam for athletic training.

I'll graduate from BYU.

I'll [hopefully] start graduate school and move to a different city.

I'll be visiting a foreign country for the first time, and traveling outside of North America. 

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It's honestly been a great year. Even the seemingly never-ending rough spots have been good. I've learned plenty about myself, and my testimony has grown so much. I have an increased appreciation and love for my family, and I'm getting better all the time at studying. 

Here's to an even better year during 2017.