Waiting...not so patiently

It kinda stinks sometimes. And that's all I'm going to say, or I'll be giving away my big news that I don't officially have yet.

Abandoned...

For anyone who checks my blog on a regular basis...the last thing you heard from me is that I have a boyfriend. Which is still 100% true. And things are going very well. Basically all my time is spent with him. We do lots of homework dates...which gives us the best of both worlds: productivity and time together. I took him home to meet my family this past weekend. They love him. And, because it's late and I'm tired, that's all you're gonna get for now. But know that I'm alive and well :)

Updates on my life

Well, I've now been in Utah for 4 weeks. I am enjoying my student teaching. And I have a boyfriend. Wow...that's weird to say. But it sure does make me happy. Jeff is an amazing guy. I actually met him online...something I never pictured myself doing, but it is so worth it! I don't have much time to update...and y'all probably don't want to read the details anyway, but I have to share!! I'm so happy:)

How Did I Spend my Year Mark?

Well, the day started out by judging the Elementary School Science Fair. That was...interesting, to say the least. Never thought I'd be doing that on my year mark of being home.

But the part that really freaks me out...I started applying for jobs online. Real jobs. Big-girl jobs. That will also have big-girl pay checks (that's a nice thought). Yep. All of my preparations for teaching are underway. Now all I have to do is keep filling out applications, and wait.

524,600 Minutes

At this moment, exactly one year ago, I was finishing my first meal with my family in over 18 months. I was sitting in mom's new kitchen with my family, missionary nametag in place, but knowing it wouldn't be there for much longer.

Last night, it really hit me that today is my year-mark of being home. And I totally broke down in tears. I reached over and picked up that black nametag, which I always keep nearby. It's something so trivial, yet something that means so much to me, because the months that I wore that nametag were the months that most shaped me into the woman I am today. And as I sat there, holding my nametag I started to sob. My heart ached for the mission. I longed to be back with the people I grew so to love. I yearned to have a full-on conversation in Spanish. I wished that I had all of my missionary journals here with me, so I could read them, and, in a sense, go back to that time.

I turned out my light, and tears rolled down my face and onto my pillow. How I wished I had, at the very least, a teddy bear to cuddle with. But I didn't have even that. Eventually, I fell asleep, still longing for the mission.

Now, overall, it has been a good year. Of course there were ups and downs, but I do believe that there were more ups than downs. I've met many more wonderful people who I have grown to love. I've had conversations in Spanish. Honestly, I wouldn't trade the past year for anything...except to go back.

Every day, for the past 365 days, I have thought about being a missionary, and the many wonderful experiences I had as such. And for the past 365 days, I've wondered how it would feel to hit my year mark being home. Now I know. And I dread the day, in just 6 short months, when I will have been home for more days than I was a missionary. I don't even want to think about that.

And so today, on this anniversary, I want to joyfully remember all of the people who touched my life while I was a missionary. I want to remember the experiences I had. I want to remember the joy I felt on oh so many occasions. Don't get me wrong, it's been great being with my family, but, as to this point in my life, nothing compares to being a missionary.

Hello, My name is Miss Good

Well, I've got 2 weeks of my student teaching done already. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I moved here to Utah on New Year's Eve. Since that time, I've gotten settled into my apartment. I'm really enjoying living alone for the time being. Of course, if I do end up getting a job somewhere in this area, I'll likely move in with roommates, but for right now, it's nice to have "me time." I kind of have a cat. Actually, the people I live with have a cat, but she won't leave me alone, so I call her my cat. I really like my ward. I feel more welcome here than I have in any other ward I've been in--at least with the sisters. I don't know that I can say as much for the guys. But I've only gone 3 Sundays. Something is bound to change sooner or later.

I'm also completely loving life in the Salt Lake area. This past weekend, I hopped in the car and made the short drive to Provo. It was very much like all of my driving from Rexburg to IF and back...just with more traffic. I was able to see a bunch of friends--family, friends from high school, old roommates, mission friends. And I met some new people as well. It was fantastic! I love living this close to Provo!

Anyway, I'm really enjoying my student teaching. So far, I've only had 4-day weeks...and this week is no different. Next week when I have all 5 days is going to be a real shocker...but then again, I have a training all day on Monday so I'll still only be in the classroom for 4 days. In my class, there are 31 students, but we switch back and forth with the other 6th grade class, so I have the wonderful opportunity to get to know all 61 6th graders at Fremont Elementary. Yes, that is a lot. And it makes it even more of a challenge that about 2/3 of the students are English Language Learners. But...the whole reason I'm not already done with student teaching and graduated is because I wanted to be certified to work as an ESL instructor...so it's totally worth it.  It's going to give me a lot of experience.

There are many different nationalities and languages represented in my classes. I don't even know them all. They include: Burma (Chinese), Thailand (Khmer), Somalia (Somali), India (Indian), Vietnam (Vietnamese), Japan (Japanese), Latin America (Spanish)--I lumped them all into the same category, because I have no clue which countries are represented. As as you can see, we have a very diverse class. It can make instruction difficult at times, but it is so rewarding to be able to see the students succeeding and to be able to help them realize that they really can speak English and perform well if they put their mind to it. And I love the challenge that each new day brings!

No Place Like Home for the Holidays

It was so good to be home for Christmas this year. It truly was such a wonderful Christmas. I may have had to work all day on Christmas Eve and was unable to help in all the food preparation and such that I was so looking forward to, but it was okay. I really do enjoy my job, and there was still food to make when i got home.

After two years of being gone on Christmas and just having a short time to talk to my family on the phone it was really nice to be with them and celebrate with them. We had our usual Christmas Eve program and the 4 of us kids slept on the floor under the tree. It was the worst night's sleep I've had in a long time. I was so uncomfortable. And it was...different. I remember every year before my mission the anticipation of the next morning and Christmas. This year as I went to sleep, my thoughts were on the Savior and the true meaning of Christmas. I was so grateful that we had church on Sunday that we were able to go and celebrate His birth in the morning. Kesha and I were asked to sing in a small group for one of the musical numbers. That was nice.

I really enjoyed being able to keep my mind more focused on the Savior throughout the day. And I really enjoyed being with my family. It has been a good break at home, regardless of working pretty much every day. And there's only a couple more days of that, because I move to Utah on Saturday!