2014... on to bigger and better things.

           Have you ever just sat there and looked back on a year and realized that you hated it yet loved it at the same time? Well, that would be me, tonight. I hated 2013, yet I love some of the changes it brought to my life. This year started out great as I had just spent 3 amazing weeks with Christina helping her after she had baby Emery. I got back into the flow of school and had even been promoted at work. However I soon learned that school, management position, internship and training for a half marathon was a lot of work! I became a stressed mess and was not happy with how I was handling everything. I survived though and I was proud for getting everything done. School ended and that brought about me moving into a new place. My birthday rolled around a week later and resulted in my relationship with my best friend ending. I am lucky enough to have an amazing brother who lives close by who let me escape to his house for a few days to deal with it all. Summer turned out to be great in some aspects with vacations and trips to see my family.  Work sucked but I had a job and was grateful for it. School started again in August and stressful life was back in swing. Only this time it was a FULL MARATHON I was training for!!! I didn't train as much as I should have but I did it! It felt great to cross the finish line!!! Over Thanksgiving Don got Christina and I tickets to WICKED and it was awesome!!! Such a great show! I got to get out of St. George for 3 weeks for Christmas break to spend time with family and it was much needed and a blast. 
             This year has taught me a lot. I had really close relationships end and learned the meaning of true friendship. It was a struggle and I don't wish this experience or the pain on anyone but I know that Heavenly Father has truly helped me through it. I became a lot closer to my wonderful siblings through it all and I have felt God's love for me. I know that He knows who I am and is there for me whenever I need him to. I have felt the comfort from the Spirit and know that if those relationships hadn't ended I would not be where I am. I'm not where I pictured I would be in my life, but I am learning to love every day. Let go of past pains and move forward. 
In the words of Rascal Flatt, 

"I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons

Finally content with a past I regret

I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness

For once I'm at peace with myself

I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long

I'm moving on" 

I look forward to 2014 and hopeful all that it can have in store! Here's some pics of the good times of 2013!

  

May.. What a Month!

Ryan and I ran the half marathon in April. It rained and it was cold but we finished! I was so proud of us for actually going through with the race.

I finished school on April 24th! and I must say that I was pretty impressed with my grades! I had a lot going on last semester and many times wanted to pull my hair out in stress and frustration, but alas, I got a 3.717 and my accumulative GPA is 3.858!!!

 

My 24th birthday came, and thankfully left. I had to work a graveyard last minute that night and then come back seven hours for my normal shift. I had slept 2 hours in 2+ days, and I was a MESS! ha. I do not do good on no sleep. My mom got me some cute clothes though and a new bike! The bike is fun to ride around town. Thanks MOM!

 

 

Bree and I are officially signed up for the St. George Marathon on October 5th! 26.2 miles may kick our butt but we are starting to train on Saturday mornings again. This includes waking up at 5 am to beat the St. George heat and currently get our run in before I work at 8 (i'm trying my hardest to get rid of that shift, you'd think after being here 2.5 years they'd do what I wanted haha)

 

My car battery died the other day and I didn't want to have to call a certain someone (he is who i used to always call down here for car problems), anyways, Dad told me to just go buy a new battery since my car wouldn't start being jumped and ask Bree's husband to try and replace it for me. Well I was feeling a little crazy and attempted to just replace it myself.... and I DID IT! woot! I had to call Dad during the last part cuz I didn't know the battery was bolted down on the bottom but other than that I did pretty good I think, the car still runs so musta done something right!!

 

I have these two friends... Sherry and Kylee. I work(ed) with them at Danville. And the two punks both decided to up and quit and move in the same month! I pretend to be mad but I am SO happy for both of them, I just miss and will miss them. Sherry left earlier this week to flight attendant school so for the two weeks before she left we studied airport codes every chance we got! We came up with some funny and really random ways for her to remember the codes, but it worked because she texted kylee and me yesterday to say that she got a 100% on her test! and then Kylee moves next weekend up to Orem to be a nanny for the summer.

 

I went up to Mike and Judi's last weekend for a couple days. It was a random trip but much needed. I love going up and visiting them so much! I had a blast. William and Thomas made me play superheros with them, I would have to make up the missions they would ahve to go on and decide who they would rescue. They are so cute and it was a blast. The trip ended watching William play baseball. He is a STUD!

 

and the last part. Bree sent me an ad posting the other day for an adoption respit position down here and told me even though the ad had closed the day before to try and apply for it... so i did. the position was filled but the man that got my resume responded with this, and it made me feel really good about myself and have hope for when I graduate....

"according to your resume, you have amazing qualities and would be an asset wherever you work"

 

countdowns

17 days: half marathon
21 days: end of school
28 days: my birthday!!!

april is gonna be a crazy month! i'm going up to salt lake in a few weeks to run my half mararthon with my brother. my first year of grad school ends in 3 weeks and its stressful and crazy with all the group projects that come with the end of the semester.