Happy New Year's everyone! Another year come and gone in what seems a blink of an eye. Strange, isn't it? On iPhoto, one of the tabs lets you see your pictures from the last 12 months. I looked at the photos I took a year ago, it was surprising to see how much I had changed in the last year (not including hair length which is rather obvious).
Here's me a year ago:
Here's me a few days ago:
It's amazing how much you can change in a year. Often the change passes, almost imperceptibly, and then when you look back you realize just how much really has changed.
Here's some of the changes I've experienced this past year (in a random order):
-A new appreciation for country music. It's still not my favorite type of music, but I like it much more than I used to. I guess that's what happens when 2/3 of your roommates love country music.
Sleep deprivation. Yeah, I need to work on the whole "early to bed and early to rise" stuff. Specifically "early to bed". I actually get up at 6 every morning during the school year, but I don't go to bed as early as I should, usually because of homework or talking to a roommate and not realizing how late it is. Well, I guess it's something to work on in 2012.
Job. I had my first full-time job this year! Over the summer, I was a summer day camp counselor at LGS recreation. I worked with elementary school age children and I loved it! Of course, some days were frustrating, especially when it was in the 90s or 100s and the kids were cranky, but overall I loved working with the kids, teaching them, and learning from them.
Ladybug was my camp name. This is a drawing from a really sweet kindergardener. She even used sparkly crayon on it, so you know she meant it!
-Most of the guys my age are now on their missions. This has been a change for me in lots of ways. The most obvious is that when I came into fall semester, I didn't have any guy friends currently at BYU. So I got to make lots of new friends this year (which has been so much fun! I've met so many amazing people!). I also write more letters than I ever have before this year and I received my first piece of international mail this year (super fun)!
1st piece of international mail ever!
-Moving off-campus. For those not super familiar with BYU, really only freshman live on campus and everyone else lives in apartments that are pretty close to campus. This has also been a big change for me. For one thing, I now get a lot more exercise walking to campus (I used to walk maybe 5 minutes last year, whereas I now live about a mile from campus). I also now have to go further than 2 minutes to get to the grocery store. Besides that, I now have the opportunity to interact and be friends with people from a much greater variety of ages. For example, my Relief Society last year was full of 17-19 year olds with one RA who was 23ish. This year, my Relief Society still has 18 and 19 year olds, but there's also lots of girls who have served missions, some who have graduated and are working, some who are pursuing graduate degrees, and everyone in between. It's been a wonderful experience to learn from their experiences and to add my own to it.
-My hair. This is one of the things that has changed the most this year. It has gone from my normal shoulder-ish length to the longest it's ever been to the shortest it's ever been all within a year! The best change is that I got to donate my hair to Locks of Love. It was a goal/dream of mine for many years and I'm so glad I finally got to do it.
My shoulder length-ish hair I've had for a long time
The longest my hair has ever been
The shortest my hair has ever been.
Friends. New Friends. It might be a tie between 2010 and 2011 on which year I've made the most new friends, but either way, I've made so many new friends this year. I've been so blessed to have met so many amazing people and have them in my life. They make bad days better and are the reason for many good days.
Changing relationships. Relationships between friends I already had before this year have changed a lot. In some cases, we are so much closer than we used to be. Kensey is the perfect example of this. I was friends with her last year, but now she's one of my best friends who I can talk about anything with and who I spend most of my time with. Brittany is a more recent example of this too. We were friends last year, but not super close. Now she's one of my best friends who I can talk with about anything and who I'm spending more and more time with.
Friends I don't see very often. With some of my other friends, I'm not as close to them as I used to be. With other friends, I don't see them very often, but when I do, I still feel so close to them (my roommates from last year and some other people like Amy, Sarahy, Karen, the twins, Bri, Julene, Rebekah, and many others).
Relationships that have varied. Probably the greatest example of this was with Meagan. We grew super close over winter semester and the summer and she even came out and visited me in California. This fall our relationship has been redefined and we had to work through a rocky patch or two. But, we're still really good friends, just with a different relationship than we used to have. Not bad, just different.
Marriage. This is the first year I've had a friend my age married! I even had two roommates, Camilla and Margaret who were engaged and married this year! I also had a friend from home, Amanda, get engaged as well as many other girls who I know. It's crazy to think I'm old enough for that to have people my age married. I'm super excited for them and all the other people I know who got married this year.
Amanda's engagement ring
Camilla's wedding
Margaret's wedding
Family. Extended family. I've had the chance to see more of my extended family this year, which has been fantastic. Between Ben and Ryan (+ their families) coming out to see BYU, Grandma Stuart coming out to California, Ben coming out to California, and lots of baby showers and weddings, I got to see my family a lot this year. I didn't get to see my extended family much growing up because I lived in California and my next closest family member lived in Utah. So, it's really awesome to get to know some of my cousins I didn't really know so well. I really cherish these opportunities because I didn't always have them. Woo-hoo for weddings that let me get to know my family even better! And congrats to Josh, Cory, Ben on getting married. Congrats to Cassie who just barely got engaged! Congrats to Sam and his wife and Joe on his wife on the birth of their new children and all of my cousins who are currently pregnant.
Me and my grandma!
John's home! John got back from his mission in Paraguay this past June! We both changed a lot over his mission and it's been fun to get to know each other again. We live in the same apartment complex, we walk to school together sometimes, and he's part of my apartment's dinner group. I see him basically every day. It's great to get to see him so much! I love having him nearby!
Elisabeth and her family. Gerrit found a job (woo-hoo!) and it's in Pleasant Grove, UT. That means Elisabeth and her family only live about a half hour away from me at BYU. So, I've had the chance to babysit Miles and do social things with Elisabeth and Gerrit. This year has been the most I've seen my sister throughout the year for a long time, probably since 5th grade. I got to see her and her family when Gerrit was searching for jobs in the beginning of the year, when they moved to Utah, when John got home from his mission, and at least 2 times a month since I've been back at school. It's been absolutely fantastic! Elisabeth's always been such a role model to me and I love seeing her so much. Gerrit's hilarious, the best brother-in-law in the world, such a good husband to Elisabeth, and such a good daddy to Miles. Miles is the best nephew in the entire world! What could be better than living by these wonderful people? I know of only one thing. A niece coming in April-ish! I'm so excited!!!!!
My parents. Actually, my parents are pretty much a constant in my life. A big change for both of them was my mom's new calling as Relief Society president. Mom's doing her best to magnify her calling and I think she's doing a great job. It's nice to be able to call them and talk to them when I'm at school. I love my parents and it's nice to have a constant in your life. Although, the more I think about it, the quality of our relationship has changed. As I have matured and grown up more this year, our relationship has also matured a lot. It's a nice change.
The first calendar year without James. 2011 was the first calendar year without my big buddy and brother James. For those who don't know, James passed away in September 2010. During this year was also the first time I visited James' grave. I miss him so much. I miss his hugs, "echoing" with him, singing with him, and always learning from him. James is my inspiration to work with people with disabilities and has made the most positive influence in my life. It's hard to go home and not have him there. But, as much as I miss him, it's okay. Because Jesus Christ came, atoned for our sins, and overcame death, I will see my brother again. Some days it's hard, but I am joyful because I know that my brother is not lost to me and that we will be together again for eternity. What could be more joyful than that?
Me and James, February 2010
So, I guess all of these changes plus some others I didn't write about were almost imperceptible as they began changing. But, as I review the year, they become abundantly clear. This year has been another growing year for me with many changes, but I'm glad and excited to keep trying to change for the better. I'm excited for 2012 and what will be in store for me, both big things like going to London and other small and big things I don't know about yet. So, here's from reflecting on 2011 to looking forward to a new year.
P.S. Sorry for the really long blog post. I promise I'll be more concise next time!
