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.

My favorite mornings
I apologize if this gets gushy... but there is this sweet hour I get every once in a while at work. It happens at 7:30am. I come in as the first person in the school and 'open' the school. I stand (or sit) and greet all the students as they arrive. There is something so sweet about being able to shake each student's hand. I feel like I'm channeling all the energy I have to helping them feel loved and happy about the start of a new day. There is not a single student who walks in for whom I don't feel that love. I love talking with them and getting to know them outside of the classroom and before they start their school work.

I think there is something to be said about the magic of the early morning hours. When I think back on some of the sweetest moments, many of them happen in the morning... early... when it is tempting to still be under the covers. I think of early morning runs or bike rides or watching the sun rise. Or when my dad would take me out to breakfast for my birthday. Or being at work early and getting so much more done. Or my best scripture studies. I think part of it is sacrifice, and I think part of it is the newness and purity of the beginning of a new beginning.

Which brings me to the increase in blessings that come from attending the temple when it is a sacrifice. I was on my way to the temple with a good friend a few weeks ago. He had a lot of work to do that day and was a little anxious about getting it all done. We had just attended the baptism of a friend and were heading up to the temple. I told him I was impressed that he was attending the temple with all he needed to do. He told me that those were the times when he received the greatest blessings from temple attendance- when it was the greatest sacrifice. When he showed the Lord his priorities during a time when many things were demanding of his attention. I have since gained a testimony of this principle. I have felt abundantly blessed and can see how many of these blessings are connected to attending the temple when it was most difficult to fit into my schedule.

Pismo Beach. Was perfect. Thank you Mom and Dad for making it so perfect in every way. We camped at the beach Friday night. Biked from my parents' house to Avila Saturday morning (that distance seemed so much longer when I was little). Ate lunch and had a much too short 20 minutes in the sun on Avila Beach when the sun finally came out. I went to pick flowers with Kristina while everyone else did ATV's on the dunes. We went to downtown SLO for dinner with everyone and my parents and Kristina. Then we just went back to the house and chatted and were all pretty exhausted. Church in the morning, lunch and yummy desserts for Mother's Day and Mom's birthday, then headed back up to the bay. I was probably the most spoiled of anyone. I got to be with my friends AND my family in one of my favorite places.

She's always stopping to smell the flowers. I need to be more like her...

I was still in my biking gear. The flowers were doing a great job of adding to my already lovely smells:)

Bike ride! (small one, but pretty and nostalgic) Dave, me, Jennia.

Another adventure... Coldplay concert! It was without question the BEST concert I have ever been to. And right up there with some of the best memories. Meredith, Jennia, Dave, Sneha, and some of his other really great coworkers... Quality people and good friends.

Lately... I have NOT been good about taking pictures. BUT, I've had some great adventures and may be able to scrounge up a few pictures. Camping and the most grueling half marathon trail run EVER. Also one of the most beautiful courses. Just north of SF.

The half marathoners prepping for the big race. One of us ran a lot faster than the other... Dani might be the most hardcore athlete I know. But... I did receive this little ribbon in the mail a few weeks later. 99% sure it's a mistake, but I'll go with it.

Dave, me, Danielle, Shelly... all finished strong despite the intensity of the trail. Dave and Dani actually placed.

Crazy sunglasses make any occasion better.

Starting the race in the soft sand. Good thing I didn't know running in soft sand was a cake walk compared to the remainder of the trail.

I knew I looked ridiculous, just didn't know I looked ridiculous enough for Dave to be laughing at me and strangers to be staring... what no one runs in wool socks, funky sunglasses, and lopsided tights?

The best part of my day- covered in salt and sand, laying on a warm beach, done with the run. Lovely.

Thank you Jennia. She knows how much I love sand:)

Ahhhh...

Conversation today at the end of Spanish with one of my favorite 6 year olds: Lindsey: "Melissa, do you have a dog?" Tanvee: "No, she doesn't have a dog. She's not married" Me: Smiling, "No I don't have a dog but you don't have to be married to have a dog" Lindsey: "Do you have a kiden?" Me: "When I was a little girl I had one but I don't anymore" Lindsey: "Do you have fishes?" Me: "Nope" Tanvee: "Melissa that is very surprising that you are not married. You're almost 30!" (a couple of kids came into my office the other day and guessed my age. One said 15 and another said 45 so I decided to let them know I was actually right in the middle) Me: Still smiling, "Well it's not that weird. I think it will happen someday" Tanvee: "You need to get married. You're getting old. But don't do it on a Tuesday or Thursday because I want to have Spanish" (I teach Spanish to their class on Tuesdays and Thursdays) Me: "Ok Tanvee. I'll make sure not to get married on a Tuesday or Thursday. And I'll try to do it soon" Tanvee: "Then you can get a baby and a dog" Me:" That sounds great. I'll work on it"

Perspective

Something miraculous happened today. I rear ended someone just before arriving at work. Estimates for repairs will put a pretty good dent in my savings, and I felt about a hundred times worse because it was my mom's car. But I felt blessed. No one was hurt. I learned a really valuable lesson about paying more attention when I'm driving and not trying to multitask. I could have learned that lesson in a much worse situation. My parents were completely understanding and more concerned for my well being than about the car. They were sympathetic about the repair costs and relieved the stress of worrying about how this would negatively affect them after their generosity in letting me borrow their car.

About 24 hours previous to the accident I sliced my hand open while cutting frozen cheese... and haven't had much use in my left hand since then. It's kind of amazing how it really isn't the circumstances of our lives that create hope and happiness. Ok, circumstances can help. But ultimately it's the choices we make, where our heart is, and where our priorities are.

Today I am grateful first for the gospel of Jesus Christ, which allows me to even have the perspective and knowledge that I do. While I fall so short of being the disciple I know I can be, I know He accepts me and encourages me where I am. I know I can still do good and help others where I am. I don't have to wait until I am better, more devoted, more faithful, more perfect... to be loved or to be His instrument.

I am grateful for the love I feel in my life from my family and from friends and from good people who love and help expecting nothing in return.

I am grateful for my students, who are amazing little spirits and individuals.

I am grateful for hope. I have felt it abundantly lately. Accompanied by trust. I have seen glimpses of the incredible blessings yet to come. I have been reminded of the incredible blessings I have received and presently experience.

I am grateful for nature and the awe that I feel when I am in it. I went camping last weekend with some good friends (pictures to come) then ran... ok jogged and half walked... the most intense half marathon trail run I have ever done. It took me almost twice as long as a normal half. But it was beautiful and I was grateful for a body that could even get through that.

Life is good. Everything will work out. I have a lot of improving to do. But I can do it. That's what this life is about.