Today I'm thinking of how quickly life can change... The other day in church some guy quoted Mike Tyson saying something to the effect of "Everyone has a plan in life... until they get punched in the face." It got everyone laughing, but it also hit home to me on so many levels. How many times have I had a plan for my life? And how many times has that plan been destroyed? Pretty sure it's 99% of the time I've planned. For so long I planned on swimming in college on a full-ride scholarship, and much to everyone's surprise, for a long time I did plan on doing that at BYU. I planned on going to college in Sport Medicine or Sports Psychology. I planned on doing as much school as possible and still getting a 4.0 (on top of swimming mind you). I planned on graduating in the spring and then getting my dream job right away.
Obviously this isn't where I am or where I'm heading.
But! I don't think I've ever been happier with life. There are still ridiculous things happening every day, and I still ask myself sometimes if this is what life is going to be like forever. Sometimes the truth of that question scares me, but somehow I'll be prepared for it! That is one comforting thing about the past. Does anyone else feel like an absolute champion when they look back on their life and fully acknowledge exactly what they went through to be where they are? I think we all should feel that way. Nobody has it easy and we should be proud of ourselves for making it, but also humbled knowing that it was only with help from our Heavenly Father.
Anyway, enough deep, philosophical crap. I've come to terms with where I'm going with life and I'm excited for my adventures! Here's what's going on: This summer I've been working like a mad woman for a swim store out here in Salt Lake. It has been the time of my life. I absolutely love the people I work with, it's like we're all part of a family. At my old job I constantly felt like I could work better, but I never had the motivation to because my boss never treated me with respect. I was working under constant threats to be fired or punished if I did anything wrong (which I often did since they never trained me). But here, I feel respected and valued which makes me want to work even harder to prove myself. I love being in the store surrounded by swimming gear, and more than that I love the smell of the store when I walk in each morning. It's a familiar scent of polyester, lycra, spandex, and chlorine. Can anything else smell better? I submit that nothing can! Because of my wonderful job, I was able to pay for my trip to Russia!!! Which is a huge accomplishment for me. I feel like even more now I'll appreciate the experiences I am going to have there. I've also met (via facebook) all the kids in my group that are going with me to St. Pete's. They all seem great and I'm excited to meet them all in person. Some of us already have a plan to do a temple trip in Eastern Europe while we have some vacation time over there. The Kiev, Ukraine temple is being dedicated August 29, and I fly out of SLC Aug. 30th. So the plan is to hit up the Kiev temple, Helsinki, Finland Temple, and Stockholm, Sweden Temple. There are my 3 new temples for the year-which knocks off one of my new years resolutions! Go me! :D I officially leave to Russia now in 39 days!!! I really can't believe I'm doing this. It started out as an idea and something I'd love to do, and now I have my flight schedule. The time to travel and explore really is now I think, and if you want to do it, go for it. I've been blessed to keep my scholarship so I am still debt free in school. I couldn't be more excited about that! And that fact really is a huge deal when planning a trip like this, but I still believe that if you want something in your life-go for it. No one is going to hand it to you on a silver platter, trust me.
In other news of life, I met with my academic advisor and got everything I need to apply to the BSW again. (2nd times a charm right?) Here's hoping! I got my letters of recommendation passed out, and I think these one's will speak better to my ability as a Social Worker. I also discovered that I am now officially more than halfway done with my Bachelor's degree!!! Super excited :D Even so, I still have 2 years ahead of me of intense diversity, culture, writing and statistics classes. My last semester is a 12 credit practicum that I know nothing about.. but it sounds intesne. Here goes nothing! I can't wait to be a legit social worker, out there "doing something for others of what Christ has done for me." -Charles Loring Brace. Lately I've been thinking that I would want to work with International Adoptions instead of just local. I realize this would be a lot more challenging and often more risky and heart-breaking, but it's something I feel like I need to consider. I'm hoping I would be able to do some volunteer work in St. Pete's at a local orphanage, I think that would be an awesome experience to have.
Well, those are the biggest bits of news in my life! In other areas, I've had two family reunions this summer and it is quickly becoming apparent that I am going to be the shortest cousin on BOTH sides of the family. What happened?! I used to be the tallest! Oh well, I like my height, and it is safe to say that is not going to be changing anytime soon. ;) Also, I'm going through a wardrobe revamping stage. I have to dress nice in Russia and it's stressing me out! I like my sweatpants and t-shirts, but maybe it is time to start learning how to actually dress smart and classy. Here goes nothing!!! :D