A New Chapter

While it is exciting to close a chapter, there are still some works in progress from the previous one...

First, the subject about which I usually avoid going into too much detail on my blog. The one I sometimes wish were not still a topic in my life, but which I am grateful is still a topic as long as I am still single... dating. My 20's marked the beginning of my dating life (yes, a bit of a late bloomer), I guess the beginning of meaningful romantic relationships. And I am extremely grateful to have been able to date some of the best men I have known. While much of this aspect of my life, as well as of close single friends' lives, I do not yet understand, I know that God is in control. My greatest comfort recently has been that if I am doing the best I can and staying close to God then the time and place and person will be right someday.

In the meantime I have learned so much through both the happy and the difficult times... the beginnings and the endings. I have learned what is most important, what I am looking for, what to ask for in prayer, to enjoy the moment, to take it one step at a time, how to truly put everything in the Lord's hands (it's one thing to know how, and another to actually do it), what faith looks like, that not knowing the why of how things turn out is often a blessing, that every relationship is a gift, and the one that lasts for forever is a miracle.

I have learned that happiness is found nowhere but within. I have heard that many times, but it has been through both wonderful and difficult experiences in this area that I have learned this.

Second, the project which began in my 20's and which I have only recently made a lot of headway on: having true balance in the areas of exercise and eating. Many of my friends respond to this project with "You don't need to work on that. You exercise everyday and eat healthier than anyone I know." But this project is about being healthy in my head, avoiding excess, making consistently good choices, moderation, avoiding substances which really should never be consumed or put into food products, enjoying food experiences with friends, and putting food in the right place on the priority list.

I still have a very long way to go before reaching my goals, but have made MUCH progress in a short period of time. After years of reading literature on the subject, talking to knowledgeable and experienced friends and professionals, trying new and difficult things, what has enabled me to make the most progress is to let go of my agenda. Honestly, to give it completely to the Lord, and show complete dedication to finding a happy, healthy balance.

And finally, the last ongoing project. Dancing. I kind of let go of dancing during my 20's and just recently got back into it. As I let go of the rigidity of ballet while holding on to the incredible foundation it provided, I found my true love: contemporary. I started watching So You Think You Can Dance clips and got my inspiration mostly from Melanie. It has been a source of healing through some difficult experiences with the above mentioned projects. There are mornings when I wake up so excited to go to the gym, find my unoccupied group exercise room or yoga studio, turn on my music, and dance whatever I am feeling. Some mornings it's more of a ballet feel to a piano hymn, some mornings it's contemporary to The Weepies or Mat Kearney, and some mornings it's hip hop (ok no claims on not looking like an idiot during those songs). Often it is a spiritual experience. I am able to express in a way I couldn't express through any other medium what I am feeling. Some of the songs that have accompanied these experiences:

World Spins Madly On, The Weepies
Learning to Love Again, Mat Kearney
Skin and Bones, David J Roch
Turn to Stone, Ingrid Michelson
Warm Whispers, Missy Higgins
In My Arms, Plumb
Fix You, Coldplay
Saeglopur, Sigur Ros
I Need Thee Every Hour, David Tolk

Closing a Chapter

When I entered this past decade of life I was here:

(Best soccer game, in a little town in the middle of Spain)

Then shortly after went here:

(Remember how we gained like 10 pounds just by 'passing by' our favorite alfajores store... on the way to appointments. Seriously, it was on the way...)

Then realized one of my passions while working here:

(Oh the awkward mission pictures with the elders. It doesn't end when you come home if you work at the MTC:)

And finished up at the Y making some of my favorite memories, like:

(Ward campout. Good thing I didn't know back then that I would still be doing those... 7 years later)

(Art day at the Branbury! No I did not miss a belt loop. That's just how the shorts were made.)

(Earl. Must. Die.)

(Out of control laughter, drooling, ugliest faces ever, oh and retainers. Such good times with Stacer.)

(Bikers. The tough kind.)

(Can't contain the love 4th of July)

 Then not knowing I was about to begin one of the most amazing journeys yet, I started my career in Washington DC:

(Inner city Spanish class. Halloween.)

(Fall in the East. Doesn't get much better. Love this girl.)

(Suz, Sarah, me in Puerto Rico. I think we went to the wrong beach. Murkiness and mud... but Din Din was AWESOME)

(Best roommates ever. Bess, me, Camille, Bek)

 

   The Bahamas!  

                                        

       My favorite part of our cruise- biking around the Keys

(Bess makes everything look sexy. Wait, it was Camille that was sexy, Bess was funny, and I... well I would get the kids to bed on time and make sure everything was organized. Thank you Olave.)

(Best sugar free ice cream in Annapolis. And best group:) Me, Scotty, Camille, Summer, Scotty)

(Linds Ritz... I mean Ricks. We didn't even mean to match.)

(Such an awesome trip to Palmyra and Niagara from the DC with a bestie)

(Indian kids getting out of school. So glad we were biking around right when school got out. Probably one my favorites of that trip.)

(The Elephant Ride! On Harry!)

(Those legging things were covered in leaches by the end of that hike. So beautiful. I think we saw a cow. So much for cool safari-like Indian animals)

(Munar! I think this was where we sent our clothes to get washed and got them back two days later smelling like smoke, damp, and with ash stains all over. But there was warm water. It was luxurious.)

(Favorite thing to do on trips. It did not disappoint.)

(Trail race in Richmond, Va. Did I mention that Jacob won the race? Yeah, the entire race. No big deal.)

(Sedarach! So fun.)

(I think this was one of our roommate date nights. So awkward looking back on that idea now. So fun then.)

(First.. and last?... marathon! Best support group ever. Deana ran the last couple miles with me. I definitely needed it.)

(Last day of school. Spa and Cafe Rio time. Such a treat with Suz.)

(Autumn in Va. Loved this day with Bek)

(In the Shenandoah's with Mom and Dad. I loved when they visited.)

(Eastern Market with the padres. Dad's wearing my high school tennis jacket. So characteristic)

(I miss the Cherry Blossoms so much. One of my favorite parts of living in DC was being able to walk out my front door, start running, and on that run pass Arlington Cemetery, the Pentagon, the Potomac, Lincoln Memorial, Reflective Pool, Washington Monument, Jefferson Monument, Georgetown, and come back over the Key Bridge. I loved that run.)

(The Lake with the girls! At Linds' lake house. Some of the best DC getaways)

(Apple picking in PA with Camille.. thanks for the boost:)

(Not color enhanced- this is seriously my house in Va.)

(Hey remember how our plan to invite our crushes to NYC backfired on us when they asked other girls out while we were there and we ended up getting pedicures and frozen yogurts and dancing to our ipods in our pajamas?)

I knew someday I would be back, just didn't know it would be so soon:

(The road trip across the company was one of my favorite times. I got to see family and friends along the way, think a lot, see incredible scenery, and reflect. A lot.)

(This is one of the best mothers you will ever see. With her little munchkin.)

(Nepali Coast. I can't believe I was actually there. I went camping in Big Sur the week I got back and it was surprisingly really similar.)

(Cruising, in style, along the coast in Kauai)

(And the next week in Big Sur, just on road bikes:)

(Pismo Beach! Home sweet home.)

(Kristina. So fitting for this flower child.)

(Home again. With one of my favorite people in the world. She inspires me. One day I will be like her.)

(That half marathon trail run that KICKED my butt. It would have been a difficult hike. Walking. Enough said.)

(Twinners! My sweet niece and nephew.)

(NY trip)

(Glowey Tress. She is so beautiful!)

(Dad visiting my new home in Palo Alto. Mom was there too:)

(Sisters at Tress's wedding. Making goofy faces for some reason. Maybe we were looking at Dad.)

(Just before my 30th birthday, a perfect day at the beach. It was actually warm enough to stay in the water for more than 30 seconds. Love this kid.)

(Sisters! Oh how I love these two amazing women. Just missing one...)

It's been filled with a lot. Of blessings. Opportunities. Travels. Growing up. Figuring out who I am. Learning what is most important. But mostly it's been filled with a lot of people I love. Looking back on this decade is a bit of a microcosm of life. Things like learning to manage money, choosing where to live, developing hobbies and talents, traveling, making memories, getting an education, learning how to laugh at life and at myself are all important. But it would have been hollow without the people I met, the friends I made, and the relationships I built. And this continues to be the area of my life in which I feel most grateful and most blessed. Which is why I am so happy to be where I am... close to my family.