It's time for the my (new) annual Year in Review. I'm feeling contemplative and nostalgic. Watch out. Here goes:
Best things that happened in 2005:
1. Meeting, dating, loving Ryan
2. Getting the Nike internship
3. Getting hired (and re-hired) to teach at the MTC
4. Going back to Brazil
5. Emma and Noah (new niece and nephew)
Worst things that happened in 2005:
1. Let's not talk about it... (email?? honestly)
2. My parents deciding to move across the country
3. Leaving Oregon
4. Having my heart broken (see No. 1)
5. The gumby dress
Most significant locations of 2005:
1. Nunns Park (Provo, Utah)
2. Hug Point (Oregon Coast)
3. Saddle Mountain (Clatsop Co., Oregon)
4. My sister's driveway (Payson, Utah)
5. A dirt road in Promorar (Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Funniest/oddest moments of 2005:
1. A Brazilian I barely met telling me he wants me to be the mother of his children
2. Two of my best girl friends "breaking up" with me for a few weeks (I'll give them the temporary insanity plea)
3. Overhearing an Elder ask, "Do you like hamburgers?" as part of the message of the Restoration at the MTC
4. Going on a date with a guy... and another girl
5. Any conversation after 3:00 pm with all of my roommates present
Places I visited or lived in 2005:
1. Provo, Utah
2. Clifton, Virginia
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4. San Diego, California
5. Beaverton, Oregon
Coolest things I did in 2005:
1. Hiked Saddle Mountain at 4:00 am under a full moon (no flashlight) to watch the sunrise
2. Went somewhere I've never been and started a life for myself there
3. Looked out over Rio de Janeiro from the top of Pão de Açucar at night
4. Wrote and recorded a song all by myself
5. Finished my minor in art history
Realizations of 2005:
1. Corporate America isn't as glamorous as I thought
2. Even when you think you know, you might not
3. Playing "worst case scenario" with real-life situations really puts things into perspective
4. I'm graduating in a few months and don't really want a career
5. It could be worse...
Most significant songs of 2005:
1. The Luckiest - Ben Folds
2. Kingdom Come - Coldplay
3. Happy Together - The Turtles
4. Cannonball - Damien Rice
5. Am I The Only One - Barenaked Ladies
Most played songs on iTunes of 2005:
1. Brasilena, Carioca - Ryan Andrus
2. Brighter Than Sunshine - Aqualung
3. Pink Moon - Nick Drake
4. Wandering - Ben Folds
5. Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
-Toad the Wet Sprocket-
On Friday afternoon, Kendrick and I packed up his car and headed south. We spent the entire weekend camping in Moab, Utah. The trip was full of firsts for me:
What better way to start a class than to have your teacher announce, "Today we're going to talk about fruit." Welcome to Flexibility and Relaxation, the best class I've ever taken at Brigham Young University. While we stretch and listen to the musical stylings of Eva Cassidy, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and the like, we also are enlightened on the positive effects of eating vegetables, lifting weights, and getting a good night's rest. And what better way to end a class than with a mandatory 15 minute power nap? I'm telling you, it doesn't get much better than this.
It's funny how there are so many little parts of life that people somehow seem to block out so when you get there yourself it is completely without warning or preparation. Like coming home from a mission or graduating from college and having no idea what's next. Maybe it's not that we block out the experiences, but have no idea how to help others work through them except to experience the frustration and uncertainty of it for themselves. Ahhh.... such is life.
everything is now measured against. Six months have come and gone and so have he and I. And sometimes I wonder what's happening right now that will change everything... six months from now.
Today I found new motivation; I woke up before class to go for a morning run. It's been a few weeks since I've done that and I'm thankful that I did. Not only did I use some energy that prepared me to actually fall asleep for the first time during power nap time in Flexibility and Relaxation (yes, that's a real class), I also got to watch the sun reflect off of the most beautiful display of morning clouds. After I got ready for the day and headed up to campus the sky was already shrouded in a solid layer of white. It feels so good to see and appreciate something that so few even notice.
I know we've all had those moments when we've wanted to rewind and do things exactly how we now see that we should have, instead of how we actually did. Today when I heard my new favorite Jose Gonzalez song for the first (and second, and twelfth) time, I was taken back to one of those moments... A moment that I suppose could have been pivotal if I'd had any more guts than the person I was reacting to. But in all reality, one spineless act in return for another isn't too much to be ashamed of, is it?
Today I discovered a new favorite winter sport - cross-country skiing. As a long-time devoted fan of downhill, I'd never ventured to do what I assumed was nothing more than putting a lot of work into getting nowhere. I could not have been more misinformed. Am I the only one that didn't realize that there are significant hills involved in XC skiing? Well, there are. Both up and down. And incredible views. So next time you're in the mood for some thigh burning winter fun, strap on the skis and head for the back country. I'm converted.
