2014: A Year of Uncomfortableness but also Goodness

In 2014:

• John graduated from UVU in computer science
• I was accepted into graduate school in Boston
• I had to leave a favorite job of mine (helping people with disabilities find competitive employment) and we had to say goodbye to many people we love in Utah
• We traipsed (or rather drove) and camped across the country with our evil cat: 
• In New Mexico we had an unexpected and tragic funeral for our motorcycle and we nearly froze without sleeping bags, but we LOVED Carlsbad Caverns
• In Texas we didn't camp but stayed with family; our cat explored stairs and had an unwanted adventure meeting a big puppy
• We discovered a great Podunk town in Arkansas, and experienced the muggiest & hottest camping of my life
• In Kentucky we visited Mammoth Caves and John had a run-in with a Tick while camping
• In Pennsylvania we stayed with family again
• And finally we arrived in Boston 
• Once in Boston we experienced homelessness for a week after our housing fell through and we scrambled to find something new
• We camped for most of the week and then were invited to sleep on a then-stranger now-friend's floor for the weekend
• Luckily through a series of fortunate events and chance meetings we found a fantastic little apartment for a great price (for Boston that is: it's still twice as much as we paid in Utah for only half of the space)
• We moved into a new apartment on the first day of my new graduate program (thanks to the missionaries we survived moving into a 3rd floor apartment with a narrow windy staircase)
• I began my doctorate of Occupational Therapy program
• John worked from home for a summer, then decided he needed to see people in person and so he got a new job in Chinatown, Boston 
• He now works for a start-up company called Act.md, which makes medical software for doctors and patients to communicate with one another. He's learning a lot and enjoying it
• I experienced a surprise pregnancy but then had a miscarriage
• It was very difficult and heartbreaking, but it turned into a faith-building experience. I learned more about the relationship between Christ's sacrificial atonement, healing, and repentance
• I got to read some interesting books and articles, attend a couple fascinating conferences, and be confronted with new ideas and thought processes
• Our cat is starting to get a tiny bit more friendly with strangers (he tends to be mistrustful and introverted)
• We discovered the deliciousness of homemade jam (we will never return to store-bought jam)
• And we really enjoyed making some amazing new friends in Boston who we are looking forward to continue getting to know!

Although it was a good year, it was a year that really stretched me as a person. Growth is good, but I won't feel bad about saying goodbye to 2014. Here's to a New Year full of wonderful people, new experiences, and learning!

I'm excited to welcome in 2015!!!

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving--the time for turkey, pie, lots of yummy food, family, friends, and remembering the things we are grateful for.

Over a decade ago, when my parents got divorced, I struggled to find peace in my heart and my place in the world. I cannot recall the details of the occasion, but one of my church youth group leaders shared the idea of a "gratitude journal" with us. I found a beautiful little journal, and began writing every week. I wrote anywhere between one and ten things that I was grateful for. At first I wrote the large blessings in my life: a home, family, church, the opportunity for education, freedom, etc. As time wore on, I noted the small things that I am grateful for: hot chocolate on a stormy day, fall leaves crunching beneath my feet, tickle wars with my sister, a much needed talk with a friend, etc. 

As I noticed and wrote down the large and small things in life, I began to live in a greater state of awareness. I found peace in a period of my life full of turmoil and confusion from both family problems as well as teenage years and political problems. And as I practiced gratitude, I eventually found myself.

It has been a few years since I have even thought about my old gratitude journal. Recently I feel like I have been so overwhelmed with all of the changes in my life (both good and also difficult) that I have forgotten about the daily practice of gratitude. The gratitude in my prayers has even gotten more than a little rote rather than conscientious and deliberate.

I am setting a new goal that for the rest of this year I will write down a few things I am grateful for in my journal every Sunday. 

And as far as today goes, I repeat the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends. I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new.”

New friends have been so good to us in our new journey in Boston. Old friends have been so supportive of our move and new life--and we've even been able to reconnect with friends who have been passing through or staying in Boston. Family friends have been so good to us as I've been struggling with my miscarriage. So I am grateful for my friends, the old and new.

Aching

My heart is aching.
I've been trying to fill it by wasting my time on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram during my rare free time. I've also been treating myself daily to donuts and baked goods from the bakery around the corner.

But my heart is still feeling empty.

The theme in sacrament meeting this month is families. We were supposed to give talks on families yesterday, but I couldn't do it. I cancelled our talks four days before we were supposed to give them. I kept thinking about our family during the talks that were given. I love our family.

I'm simply disappointed that things are happening the way they did.

I know we're young--we'll have children yet, this wasn't our only chance. I'm not sure that I was ready for children right now anyway, with graduate school being so busy. But I was starting to get excited.

Now everyday I see the empty bassinet and empty baby rocker sitting in the corner of our living room. I see friends posting their baby bumps on Facebook. I see brand new babies and happy parents. I am happy for my friends, I truly am.

But I hate answering the dreaded question when friends ask me how I'm feeling, if I have morning sickness yet, if I am excited.

No, I am just sad. It comes in waves, but it is always there in the back of my head and heart.

The dreaded doctor's appointment is on Tuesday. They want me to have a D and C. They say it will prevent health complications and allow my body to heal. But it won't take the ache out of my heart.

Maybe it will be a little while before I feel myself again.

Magic of Books

As a child, I spent countless hours immersed in books. Though I often spent most of the day reading, at bedtime I would inevitably find myself in a gripping part of a story. I would dutifully brush my teeth and hair, change into my pajamas, and get tucked into bed. But I knew that stashed under my pillow hid a flashlight. Impatiently I waited for the house to be quiet so I could pull out the flashlight. Making a tent under the blanket, I would read page after page, well into the night. All the while my ears would carefully listen for the CREAK of the floor or the SQUEEK of a door hinge indicating my parents might check on us. At the slightest fall of footsteps, out would go the flashlight, my eyes would squeeze shut, and with my arms limp, the blanket hiding my book, my breath would slow mimicking the soft quiet of sleep. Sometimes it was a false alarm. Other times Mom or Dad would peek into the bedroom, listening to our breath patterns and checking for the still forms of the children. As soon as the house was still again, the flashlight would turn on. On into the night I read, until my eyes could no longer be trusted and the lids dropped shut.

I got my love of reading from my Mom. Every day, Mom read a few picture books to us. She also read chapter books, which we loved to listen to: Heidi, Number the Stars, Little House on the Prairie, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and the Witch of Blackbird Pond are a few that sparked my childish imagination. Mom rarely read books on her own. She said that she didn't have enough control to stop reading, so she couldn't start. During our vacations, whether camping or at Grandma's house, Mom's nose was perpetually in a book. Sometimes we ate dinner late because she couldn't put her book down.

Every other week was library day. In those days, our car was frequently out of commission. Mom would grab our red wagon and place a nice, big, plastic laundry tote on top. My brother and I would grab our bikes, and off we would go into the sweltering, Utah heat. The rule was that we could each check out as many books as we could carry. Mom cheated a little bit-she had the laundry basket to fill. Walking out of the library, I would carefully balance my stack of books against my body-arms outstretched as far down as they could go. I mastered the art of using my chin to ensure my unsteady stack of books did not topple to the ground. As soon as we exited the library, we were allowed to stack our books on the laundry basket and soon we were home. I started with my stack of books, then I read the picture books (though I knew Mom would read them aloud to us as well). Last I read my brother's books. I didn't always like his books, but by that point I was always desperate for something new to read. I calmed myself by reading his fictional books, like Animorphs and Holes, and his non fiction books on computers and pirates. When I was lucky, I didn't have to finish reading his books because it was time for another trip to the library.

In 5th grade, Grandma discovered Harry Potter. She was hooked, and bought the first three books. She sent them home for us to read. After that, we all fought over each new book in the series. Dad usually confiscated the book until he had read it first, but lucky he breezed through each book in only a couple of days. And if he was at work, I got to read the book. I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, rejoicing at their triumphs and crying over their losses. I was infuriated by the emo Harry in the 5th book, and imagined how I thought the series would end. I loved experiencing different worlds and meeting strange creatures and magical characters.

I suppose I also got my love of reading from my Dad. He had less self control than Mom did, and could be found nearly every evening reading a new book. Dad enjoyed telling us funny parts of the story, or telling us part of the plot. When I asked to read them myself, he usually said they were too "adult" for me. Once, I snuck one of his books from a box to read. I wanted to know why I wasn't allowed to read them. Most of the book was good and interesting, but there were a couple strange, awkward scenes that I didn't really understand. After satiating my curiosity, I stuck to my own books.

I still love to read, though finding the time to finish books doesn't come as easily as it once did. Of my stacks of library books, I will usually finish only a couple before their due date comes. My list of books to read is growing longer and longer, and I despair of ever catching up. Most of my reading comes from textbooks-interesting, but required. I scatter several of my own books around the house, and in any spare moment, I try to read a little bit more of one of them-the Koran, a Guide to Investing, The Book Thief, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Dialogues of Plato, the Norton Reader, eventually I'll finish them all.

Sometimes I long for the days when I could spend all day reading, and then hide with my flashlight under the bedcovers reading some more.

Moving Adventures Day 1 & 2

In case you missed the memo, John & I are in the process of moving to Boston. I am going to graduate school there--MGH Institute of Health Professions--to study occupational therapy, and I am very excited!!!
We've had a crazy month prepping to move. John was busy with his final semester at Utah Valley University in addition to his two part time jobs and I worked until the week before the move. John's Dad came to visit for the weekend of John's graduation, and it was great to celebrate moving on to the next stage of our life.

The week after graduation was spent packing up and prepping for the move. Friday night found us in a frenzy trying to pack before our ward came to help us the next morning. We ended up getting a grand total of 1 1/2 hours of sleep that night, and the rest was spent packing. But we finished in time and had the help we needed to load our relocube, which will be shipped to Boston for us.

Great free box find: Barnes & Noble book store!!!

Playing with t3h Gnyardon at Grandma & Grandpa's. That cat sure does like catnip!!!

 That weekend was spent with my grandparents in SLC. It was a good test run during which we learned we had way too much stuff in the car and it was not going to work! So we halved the stuff we planned on bringing and loaded the extra stuff into our relocube. We had a hard time getting off since we had to install a hitch to haul our motorcycle on, but finally we left around 6pm.

On our way!!!

Day 1:

We are taking a round about way of getting to Boston, since we really wanted to visit John's sister Katie before her wedding. We will be unable to come to the wedding, so we thought we would drive down to Texas on our way to Boston. After spending a weekend with her, we will drive to Pennsylvania where we will spend a weekend with John's parents. The following Monday we will complete our journey to Boston.

We drove through southern Utah on the first day and enjoyed an incredible sunset! However, after about 20 miles driving into the sunset, we realized that something was not right. We thought we had missed our exit, but after a bit realized that we had made a wrong turn--we were supposed to be driving East towards Green River, but we were driving West towards Richfield!!! Whoops!!! So we turned around. It added about an hour to our trip. That night we stayed at my Great Aunt Mary's house in Kirtland, New Mexico. Even though she was out of town, she was gracious enough to let us sleep there.

Day 2:

This was a pretty rough day. We left Kirtland early so that we could arrive in Carlsbad, NM, by early afternoon to find a good campsite. Everything was going well when we stopped at a park for lunch, and we were feeling good.

Nice, warm park where we had a delicious lunch of sandwiches

Sugar Bear hitched to our Focus

A couple hours later we were cruising down a stretch of highway in the middle of no where, New Mexico. John was driving, and I was napping. Shortly after I woke up, John suddenly realized something was wrong. He pulled over as quickly as possible, and we realized that there was smoke coming out of the motorcycle!!! It was a little scary being on the small shoulder of the road where cars were whizzing by at 80 mph. I saw lots of shredded tires on the side of the road from other people's mishaps.

Upon inspection, we found that the motorcycle had somehow slipped out of neutral! How, we do not know. We should have taken off the chain before our trip, but we thought it would be ok left on. However, when the motorcycle had slipped out of neutral, it had gone into 1st gear. We thought the chain had seized because of that.

We unhitched the motorcycle and left it on the side of the road while we drove to the next stop in search of a repair shop. There we learned that the previous exit had the only auto shop for about a hundred miles either way. When we pulled over on the freeway, we had just passed the exit to Wagon Wheels--a town consisting of one auto shop. So we drove back to the auto shop and talked to them. They thought that the bike transmission had gotten jammed and the bike is now pretty much worthless. Shortly before our trip we had brought the engine back from the brink of death, and now all of that money, plus the money we spent on the hitch to tow the bike, was down the drain.

After considering our options, we decided that we would just do a trade with the auto shop. They would tow the bike away for us and in turn we would give them the motorcycle. At that point in time, we just wanted to be rid of the motorcycle. It has caused us so much trouble and cost us more than it is worth in repairs. The jammed transmission may have ruined the entire engine, and it would probably cost us the worth of the bike in repairs just to make it driveable again. We decided to cut our losses and then just save up for a brand new bike.

The repair shop that helped us

Good bye, Sugar Bear. We will miss you. :(

We were super bummed out after that & second guessed our decision for a while. But in the end we decided it was a good decision, no matter how hard. The rest of the drive to Carlsbad went without mishap, although it set us back and we didn't arrive until 9pm. We found an RV/camping park in Carlsbad and since we were super tired, we camped out there.

It was the end of a very rough, long day. But from there, our journey could only get better-at least we hoped. The front desk workers at the RV park were super duper nice, and one even gave us a little bit of chocolate. We lucked out because they were supposed to close before we got there, but were open later than usual because of a large group of teenagers there for a summer trip. Our cat also has survived so far, which is very important. And we were safe--we could have had a much more severe accident & we could have been injured or someone else could have been injured. I am grateful that we were protected and only lost a motorcycle (even if it was difficult to part with). We value our lives and our cat more.

Krank

So today I have been sick in bed with what is probably a migraine. For the first 8 hours or so, I couldn't do anything without my head throbbing--couldn't read, look at a computer screen, move quicker than a snail, play with the cat, text... Had to reschedule my entire day which means I won't be able to meet with one of my clients this week, and the next couple days will be super busy with work.

Oh how I hate being sick.

But now that I'm feeling a bit better--my head isn't throbbing as much as it was before, I've been able to eat a bit without feeling nauseous, and I can look at a computer screen without feeling sick--I'm much happier.

It is amazing how much my self-worth depends on my ability to DO things. As I lay in bed, I felt so discouraged and inadequate. I thought about all the things I have to do for work, moving, preparing for graduate school, etc. And as I thought about those things, I doubted myself and my ability to do the things I need and want to do. My normally fairly positive outlook on life took a serious dip, but as soon as I started feeling better, it came back up. If I were in an accident of some kind and lost my ability to do the things I love to do, what would I do? How would I react? Could I find some other way to DO the things that bring meaning to my life? Food for thought...

Anyway, that was tangent and not actually the intention of this post. I just wanted to share a few of my favorite websites, ted talks, & blogs that have changed my perspective on life during the last couple of years:

Ted: Ideas worth spreading I love Ted Talks!!! There have been way too many fabulous & inspiring talks to put them all here, so I'm gonna give you the link and you can discover talks for yourself. Some of my favorite playlists are: The Artist is In, A Better You, and How to Tell a Story.

Brene Brown on Vulnerability Ok, so I do have to share my all-time FAVORITE Ted Talk of all time!!! Brene Brown's work on vulnerability really hit home with me when I found the talk a couple years ago and it is still something I watch and think about regularly. I want to read all of her books, they are at the top of my list of books to read. I just haven't found the time to go to the library yet...I sure hope they have them at the library. In fact, maybe I'll look right now and put the books on hold so I have to go pick them up...

How Great Leaders Inspire Action One more of my favorite ted talks! The question to ask yourself is: Why are you doing something? What is your motivation for doing what you do?

Brene Brown I love Brene Brown and her work, and I just discovered she has a blog!!! I don't know how I didn't realize it earlier, but I am totally following her now!!!

Acumen This is an awesome organization devoted to combating the world's poverty. They have free online courses which I recommend. I took the Storytelling for Change course and it was great!!!

Free Online Courses Great resource for finding free online courses from ivy league and other well known universities. They have a variety of subjects and courses, and there are some really great ones!

Zen Pencils I just discovered this inspirational cartoonist, and I really love his work! Check it out (and be sure to sign up for his free posters)!

You Need a Budget This has revolutionized the way my husband and I budget and the way we think about money! I don't know what I'd do without this program. It was well worth the money we spent on it. There is now a free option for college students, and there is also a free month's trial for anyone wanting to try it out!!! I highly recommend it--we love budgeting because of YNAB! Just FYI, I do not have any financial incentives to share this website with you, I just love the program and am doing it for you.

Ting A great cell phone service that saves us money every month! We spend about $40 per month total for both of our smart phones! Ting uses Sprint's network, so they have nation-wide coverage. I highly recommend it!

Mormon Messages I am a Mormon, and these are inspiring and uplifting messages that strengthen my faith in a God who knows and loves me.

Mormon.org This is a fun website devoted to educating the public on who Mormons are. Check out these profiles! I am in the process of making my own, but haven't finished it yet.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Here's the official Mormon church website. If you want to know if something is good and true, you have to experience it and learn about it for yourself from the actual source.

Josh Weed Blog of an amazing gay Mormon, husband, father, psychologist, great person.

(Gay) Mormon Guy Another blog of another amazing gay Mormon, student, musician.


Happy surfing!!!

The Discovery of My Life's Purpose

Recently I re-read a couple of books which caused me to pause and take a look at my life to determine what my vision for my life is. One of these was "Man's Search for Meaning" by psychologist and holocaust survivor Victor Frankl, the other was "The Anatomy of Peace" by the Arbinger Institute. Victor Frankl's philosophy is that every individual has a purpose in life. That purpose differs in each person, and is determined by that individual. In order to overcome any trial, affliction, depression, discouragement, etc, no matter how big or small, a person must discover the meaning of their life and actively pursue it. The Anatomy of Peace is a parable of a man who is put in a position where he is brought to understand his need to find inner clarity and peace in his interactions with himself and others.

Both books inspired me to contemplate and re-evaluate what brings meaning to my personal life, how I interact with the people around me, and what kind of influence I would like to be on the world. I had the time to reflect on what makes me truly happy, and how I personally integrate that into my life. Here is what I came up with:

The meaning and purpose of my life is to help other people to fulfill their individual potential and to be able to do the things that bring meaning to their lives.

This is a recurring theme in my life in various ways. It has manifest itself in my educational and occupational pursuits, my religious service, and my relationships with the people I care the very most about. This theme is what brings enjoyment and meaning to me in art, music, literature, theater, film, dance, philosophy, education, religion, and culture

I don't know how to express the journey I have undergone over the last several years which have helped me to better understand myself, so I have created a brief timeline of the most influential learning experiences in my life for a little over the past decade that have this recurring theme. You are welcome to skip the timeline to see my goals in relation to the purpose of my life.

My Process of Discovery Timeline

Childhood
-Development of my love for people, different cultures, religions, and languages
-Exploration of meaning in dance, art, music, and nature

2001-2002: 
-Discovery of my love of the human body and medicine
-Grappling with the divorce of my parents, finding healing and peace, learning to interact in a healthy way with the opposite gender (really this should go under the years 2001-2012)

2002-2006:
-My fascination with physical therapy and watching the physical body heal
-Caring for my siblings and helping them deal with the emotional turmoil in our lives and encouraging them to do their best in their pursuits

2009-2010
-Serving and growing to love the people of Switzerland as I helped them in their spiritual journeys of healing, love, understanding and peace. Love of helping them to strengthen their families, creating relationships with God, improving their personal finances, serving the people around them, growing in confidence and abilities as they served in the church organization

2011-2014
-My interest in psychology-particularly abnormal psychology
-Working at the Utah State Hospital, an acute & long-term psychiatric hospital changed my life-Seeing people overcome their physical and mental challenges, heal, grow, and learning to love people without regard to their past mistakes

2012-2013
-Serving as the president of the local chapter of the world's largest women's organization helped me to connect with beautiful, strong women seeking to find their own purpose in life and strengthen their relationships. I enjoyed hearing about the challenges in their lives and attempting to assist them with their physical, spiritual, and emotional growth

2012-2014
-Learning about addiction and learning to love people despite the sometimes devastating effects it can have on relationships and individuals. Supporting and listening to some of the people I love the very most grapple with these challenges
-Working with people with disabilities to help them find and maintain employment has helped me to see how engaging and participating in the community through employment helps people to gain self-confidence, self-reliance, new skills, develop relationships, and experience an overall increase in happiness and self-loveg
-Building a great friendship and finding the love of my life in this friendship changed me and helps me every day to learn to be a better person (we joined and began our lives together when we were married and sealed for time and all eternity on 16 August 2013 in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple!)
-After undergoing a crisis in which I did not know what educational & vocational paths to pursue, discovering there is a vocation called "occupational therapy" which encompasses all of the things I am fascinated with changed my life! Shadowing the profession helped me realize that OT is the perfect vocation for me, because it is therapy to help people participate in the things that bring meaning to their lives.
-My application and acceptance to Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston will bring a new chapter of my life this June (2014) and help me to pursue the things that bring meaning into my life and other's lives. I'm thrilled, nervous, elated, excited!!!

Again, the meaning and purpose of my life is to help other people to fulfill their individual potential and to be able to do the things that bring meaning to their lives.

My goals in relation to my purpose in life (not necessarily in order):

-Graduate with a doctorate in Occupational Therapy

-Make a difference to individuals and communities

-Provide service in the communities in which I live

-Travel the world and serve other people

-Raise engaged, thoughtful, and considerate children

-Nurture relationships with the people around me, particularly my husband, children, family, and then expanding to a wider circle of people within the community including church members, friends, professional relationships, and under-served populations

-To have a heart at peace with myself and those around me

I would recommend that you read those books, and then take the time alone in a peaceful, happy place to consider what your own life purpose is. I believe that God guides and directs us, and he can help you to realize that purpose in your live. Your purpose and meaning in life is as unique as you are, and no one can tell you what that purpose is, only you can find it.

Our Boston Adventure!

The first week of February found me on a plane by myself with two carry on bags, and lots of books to keep me entertained on the way to Boston! I was headed to the school of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for an interview for graduate school! It was not the first big city I have navigated to and around partly alone, but it had been a while since my Berlin adventure of 2007, and I was a wee bit nervous. Not only was I feeling jittery about navigating in Boston without my John, but I was feeling a great deal of anticipation for my actual interview.

After landing, I lugged my bags to a bus stop and rode the hour long trip to a suburb of Boston where John's Uncle and Aunt, whom I had never met previously, were to pick me up. John's dad had contacted his brother to help me arrange a place to stay, and so John's uncle graciously agreed to host me. After formalities, get to know yous, a delicious chili feast and relaxing evening, I retreated to my bedroom to prepare for the upcoming interview.

The next day dawned bright and early, particularly since the time zone was two hours earlier than that of Provo's. I prepared meticulously including my interview outfit and going over my notes. John's Uncle dropped me off at the Charlestown Navy Yard, and I was on my own. Since I was 45 minutes early, I strolled along the harbor bundled up in the poofy coat which John's aunt had insisted I wear (apparently I had not prepared as adequately for the cold as I had thought). This is what I saw:

Here's what I posted with this pic on Instagram: "Why yes, I think I could stand having a view like this every day of graduate school..."

My impression of MGH only got better throughout the day. It is a brand new doctorate program, which I find exciting! Most of the occupational therapy programs are currently 2 year masters program, but MGH is a new 3 year doctorate program! The facilities are just as beautiful inside as outside, with state of the art classrooms and brand new occupational therapy labs. The faculty were very nice and thrilled with being part of being such a great new program. The program itself sounds fabulous, with a heavy emphasis on inter-professional education, hands on education, clinical work beginning at the start of the program, and many opportunities for students to serve within the community! My interview was fun, and overall it was a very positive experience. I left being able to picture myself as a student of the school.

The rest of the weekend flew by with entertaining myself on the Boston Freedom Walk, experimenting with Boston's public transportation system, getting to know John's aunt and uncle over an Indian dinner, forgetting my purse at the Indian restaurant and having to drive back to get it, a fabulous blitz-tour of Boston's two art museums (the MFA and Gardner museums) given by John's uncle who is a bit of an art buff and is part of the asian art committee. Here's a couple pictures from that:

The evil Gnyardon and his followers were even illustrated in the MFA!
I wonder what poor, unsuspecting soul they are stalking! ;)

My appetizer, which was a "taco", at the Gardner museum

Uncle Steve's soup--I have got to try my hand at making butternut squash soup!

Last glimpse of Boston from the plane

So I headed back home to Provo, Utah, to await the response from MGH. I focused on work and tried not to think much about the upcoming results.

A couple of weeks later, I received an acceptance letter to MGH! I also received an acceptance letter to USciences in Philadelphia, as well as an invitation for two skype interviews with schools in DC and CA. I did the interview with Howard University in DC, and we contemplated our options. We considered a lot of factors about each of the schools and locations before finally making our decision. This decision was made before even receiving the results from Howard (which I am pretty sure I got into).

Brace yourselves....



And the verdict is in! We are going to Boston in the middle to end of May!!!




Phew! Glad that decision is made. I am filled with many different thoughts and emotions. On one hand I am thrilled to be pursuing my dream of going to occupational therapy school! I am so excited for the change of scenery, the adventures and experiences to come. I am sad to leave Provo and all of my friends. I don't love living in Provo, but I love my friends here and will miss them a lot. I am also really sad to leave my new job at Rise Employment Services. I have loved working with people who have disabilities to help them find employment!!! I have committed to myself to find all of my current clients jobs before I leave! They are so capable and I want them to have employment where they will be happy and be able to contribute. I will miss working with them, and with my lovely coworkers.

Change is good. I feel a little overwhelmed and anxious about the changes, but I am also eager to begin a new chapter in our lives. I am so glad to have John by my side to experience these changes with!

The program begins June 1, so we'll be leaving Provo sometime mid- to late-May.

Wish me luck! :)

Valentine Tradition

Fun Fact: If you put a bottle of Martinelli's in the freezer to cool down and then you forget about it for approximately 3 hours, then when you open it, the juice will fizzle out of the top for quite a while!!!

We accidentally tried this a couple of days ago, and responded by taking turns sipping at the top to keep the foam from coming out. It was so funny that at times I could hardly sip because I was laughing so hard!

Cheers to our first valentine tradition!!! :)