Is it summer yet??

So today I woke up and turned on the news and the weather man said something about there being snow on the ground and I just about choked on my cereal. Isn’t it spring time and isn’t summer coming pretty much tomorrow? The problem is I feel like that has been my mentality for the past month and unfortunately time and time again I have been disappointed. To my defense we have had some wonderfully amazing days that would lead you to believing summer is coming; but unfortunately the Tri-cities loves to be tricky and the next day it will be either raining, randomly snowing apparently, or my favorite looking beautiful but with a crazy horrible 70 mph wind!

Luckily though life has gone on and I have been able to do some pretty fun things over the past couple of the weeks.At the beginning of the month some friends and I traveled up to Spokane to go snow shoeing. Thanks to some wonderful amigas I was able to borrow some amazingly warm snow clothing (because of course I have still been in AZ mode and have basically nothing) and it was awesome! I never realized how beautiful the Spokane Mountains could be and how easy snow shoeing is even though ½ the time I felt like I walked like a penguin. There is something cool and peaceful about being in the mountains in the middle of winter with not very many people around and being able to walk through the deep snow. I’d defiantly do it again someday, good times.

After that adventure later on in the month I went to my first Pi day party (on 3/14/12 of course) and it was pretty darn cool. We had tons of pie and one of my friends was even cool enough to make a pi pie, it was good times and good pie . That following weekend I also got to celebrate the anniversary of our “Crank it Slow” bike gang. This basically consists of a group of friends who get together and go for rides to different places such as by the river, down random trails through the city, and even  death rides out in Benton City! Anyway it’s a really fun group and this time we decided to take our ride on a path called the shelter belt by a high way which would usually be awesome. But unfortunately it was very windy that day and instead it ended up being a wind tunnel. This made things a little difficult going through it but boy was it an awesome ride going back! After that we had a fun bbq to celebrate complete with a green cake . Then that night a group of us hiked badger mountain which I have never done before or really heard about (one of those things that I think developed when I was away from the TCs apparently) and it was an awesome hike with a beautiful view. Someday I will probably do that again as well, but maybe in the day time and before the snakes come out…

                                    

Anyways so back to my previous statement I cannot wait until summer! I think living in Arizona has made me a little impatient but I guess it could be worse, I could be in Montana or the Yukon.

Reflections

Hello all my blogging friends! Yes I know it’s been rather long since I last was in the blogging business and I apologize if I broke some of your hearts because of that, but the good news is that I have decided to repent and recommit myself to writing again so I hope I can redeem myself. This time, however, I think along with my random adventures I want to add a little more personal touch to my posts so that way I can share and maybe in some way you can benefit from some of the things that I am learning as I go along on my “adventurous” life. As some of you know I have been getting old and this coming spring will be my 10 year class reunion, crazy hu? Recently I have been thinking a lot about what has happened over the past 10 years and man who would have thought I would have been able to experience so many things! And be living back in the Tricities, ha ha. Thinking back when I was young and getting ready to head off on my adventure to BYU I would have never thought I would be where I am today doing what I do. I mean lets be honest I came from a family where most all of my family got married super young and at 28 many (well how about 5 aunts) had like 4 kids, so I figured I would have been married and be a baby producer like the rest. Needless to say that did not happen (obviously) and instead I have had an rather different adventure of my own. Its crazy to think that in 10 years I have graduated from BYU, went on to get my masters at WSU, became a nurse practitioner (crazy), and lived in Provo and randomly Mesa, Arizona. I also have been able to travel to so many random cool countries including: India, Australia (twice), Indonesia, Singapore, Guatemala, Ecuador, and of course Mexico and Canada (if we are counting). In addition, I have had the amazing opportunity to meet so many amazingly wonderful people, finally learn the art of multiple choice, appreciate that amazing feeling when you know you don’t have to dedicate your entire life to homework or studying any more, experience the joys of working night shift, live military life, and see multiple times the harsh realities of 3rd world country living. I addition, and more importantly I have been able to have the amazing opportunity to serve and help heavenly fathers children in a vast variety of places and circumstances. From the wonderful islander children of Indonesia and the poor immigrant Mexican children in inner city Phoenix, to the kids who live in fancy homes and have everything they could possibly need and more. It really does make reflect as I see that same smile from every 4 month old baby about how they all start so much alike but just based on where they are born their lives will be so completely different. It helps me realize that God really does have a special place and circumstance for each of his children, and that gives me comfort especially when I see those little children who do not appear to be blessed with such “lucky” circumstances.

What a crazy/wonderful 10 years it has been and although it may have been a little different that the typical “Mormon girl” I truly believe we all have different missions in life and I am so grateful I have been blessed with this mission for this season of my life. I am also grateful for the person I have grown to become that 10 years ago I would have never dreamed of being. I mean I have even contemplated sky diving someday, who would have thought? Crazy! In all honestly though I feel like I can really only best describe the miracles that have happened through the words of Ammon in Alma 26:12 which reads:  “Yea I know that I am nothing, as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself but I will boast of my god, for in his strength I can do all things, yea behold many mighty miracle we have wrought in this land for which we will praise his name forever.” I know it is only with him and through him that I have been able to achieve and become who I have become. I am very humbled and grateful that he has given me the opportunity to do what I do and I know that it is only through him that I am able to do it. Granted just so you know it has not came without a price as I have defiantly had my share of trials along the way but I will say looking back that really all we have to do is trust our God and he will take care of us if desire to serve him. I look foreword to what the next 10 years have in store for me and what seasons that will bring. I’m sure it will be yet another adventure!