the end and the beginning...

here's what's been going on these past couple months...

-volleyball season ended (play hallelujah chorus here)
-put on a bridal shower and a baby shower... not for the same person ;)
-saw the brilliant christmas lights at temple square and drank hot chocolate that truly changed my life
-got a pet elephant... haha maegs gave me the sweetest elephant figurine, i'm in love with it!

-spent 2 great weeks in stanardsville, virginia with my parentals, jake, and malia and her adorable family... it was so much fun!

-ate as many christmas treats and tim-tam-slams as possible!
-threw out my back (i know, what else is knew), but with some help from modern medicine my back and knee are doing quite well
-received a calling as gospel doctrine teacher... my first lesson is on sunday, so maybe if i teach enough false doctrine they'll take it back :)
-attended lauren and trent olsen's sealing... amazing couple, wonderful sealing, gorgeous bride, perfect wedding!

life definitely equals pure happiness. i really can't ever thank my Father in Heaven enough for the incredible blessings and amazing people he has blessed me with. i am humbled and amazed by His unconditional love and power.

onward to 2011...

day 21... day of rest

i don't know if you can call a day of travel, restful, but i got to sleep in til 10 am and that was literally the greatest thing ever! so i know i was and still am upset with losing, but to look on the bright side of things, not having to be anywhere til noon today was pretty much a slice of heaven! those extra hours of down time definitely made our flight delays and getting home at 1 in the morning not so bad.

i am thankful for a much needed day of rest and being able to spend one last day with this group of girls in wonderful chicago!

day 20... sports center

today was the semi-final match of our conference tournament, , but we did not expect it to be the final match of the season. the girls were playing so well and completely dominated sets 1 and 2... but our lack of mental focus and toughness set in and we just couldn't finish. we ended up losing in 5 sets, and it was such a bummer to end the season like that. some of us were a bit more upset than others, but we put our game faces on and put on a happy show at our team dinner to hide the frustrations.

instead of going straight to my room and to bed after dinner, i went and hung out with scottie and nate. we watched espn whilst we mourned the loss and did some minor venting. they are such fun guys and great friends, and today i am thankful for them!

thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with such great friends who give me comfort and perspective, and who bring out the best in me!

day 19... magical surprise

i am so thankful for sam and his super surprise of the morning! he told the girls to come down for a "bus ride" this morning instead of doing study hall. we got on the bus, and i slyly directed the bus driver to the amc movie theatre... yes, wonderful sam took us to see HP 7! the girls freaked out and were jumping up and down with excitement! it was priceless! and the movie was AWESOME!

thank you sam for giving in to the not-so-subtle hints that we all gave you. thank you for the fabulously phenomenal harry potter series. thank you for my truly amazing team who i love so much! great beginning to a great day!

day 18... hp trivia and christmas carols

we are in freezing cold chicago for our last trip of the season, hallelujah! where we are staying is right between the city and the gym, so we have long bus trips to and from wherever we go. today on the bus our activities varied from movie watching, telling stories, and in honor of the season and harry potter 7, we did harry potter trivia and sang christmas carols.

i love that i have so many things in common with this wonderful team! i'm so thankful for them and the crazy fun that we have together! i'm so blessed to have this job where i get to hang out with friends and be around the sport i love!

thank you Heavenly Father for these great girls and memorable experiences!

... so bummed i'm not at the midnight showing! i promise i'm still a super fan!

day 17... patience

i screwed up our itinerary for our trip to chicago today. i had that our flight left salt lake at 3:20 and it really was supposed to leave at 3:02. i know it's only 18 minutes off, but my boss can be somewhat anal. i thought i was in for a stern lecture and disappointment, but we made it to the airport, checked in baggage, and made it through security with time to spare.

so today i am grateful for sam's patience with me and my minor mix-up. i'm thankful that the girls made him laugh whilst checking in bags, we were having some issues with making the 50 pound weight limit. it was pretty hilarious, and we made it all fit, thank goodness!

thank you Heavenly Father for giving me this awesome job where i get to work with amazing people. thanks sam for your constant patience with all of my mess ups!

day 16... run and not be weary, walk and not faint

i had the wonderful opportunity to go to the temple this evening, and because i was a bit low on time i only got to do initiatory. that in itself was such a great blessing, just to be able to listen to the incredible blessings that Heavenly Father gives us through our endowments. i love the temple so much!

on this specific day, exactly five months since my knee surgery, i couldn't help but think about how great it is to be able to walk and run. i took being able to move and be physically active for granted, and even though i'm not 100 percent, i am so grateful for how far the Lord has let me come. i still have some limitations with my bend and strength, but it's coming a long and i am so happy about it.

thank you Heavenly Father for helping me get better and giving me the health, strength, and motivation to move and be active.