Hello!

Dear blogging world,

It's been a while. About 21 months to be exact :) I've been home from my mission for just over 3 months. And I think I'm finally ready to blog again. I've missed it. A lot. It is a really good way to express what I'm feeling and record special events and happenings.

When I started blogging my parents were shocked at how open I was on my blog. But I was all for it. I had no qualms about saying exactly how I felt and why I felt it and what made me feel that way. But I think being on a mission made more cautious about how open I am about my feelings. I've become more careful about what I share and who I share it with.

SO because my last blog was very emotional and dramatic (and, lets be real, a little over the top sometimes haha) I'm starting this one. So if you want to read about me before my mission, click here, (keeping in mind that I've learned a lot since then ;).

Here is a little update on my life:
I'm still at BYU. I have one semester left of the nursing program which I'll start in January. So if everything goes as planned I will graduate in April 2015. Crazy.

When I got home from my mission I took a CNA class and am now working as a certified nurses assistant at a nursing home in south Provo. I take my certification test for that next Tuesday. Finally!

I'm living in Provo with Allegra and Amanda, two girls from my mission. It's awesome.

My dating life is not exciting at the moment--I'll update you when it gets that way.

I'm still obsessed with dance, good literature, and my family. I love music. But I'm still more often in the mood for Christian Rock than regular music these days :) I am learning the guitar. I'm trying to ride horses more often. And school is not nearly as high on my priority list as it was before my mission.

*Side note--I think everything in my life happens backwards in relation to everyone else... Freshman year is normally not the best year for people. However, it was probably my most studious year. I didn't miss class once and I studied all the time. People normally become better students after their missions, Not me! I'm definitely a less responsible student. Because I realized I didn't want that to be my highest priority...

I miss my mission a lot. I miss the constant opportunities to share my testimony of my Savior and of the happiness that comes from His plan for us. I miss the hours of study. I miss the complete focus on doing Heavenly Father's work. I'm going through a process now of trying to apply those things into my life now. Being home is DEFINITELY harder than my mission ever was. But as I've thought about it, it makes sense. My mission was teaching me tools to use the rest of my life. And that's why my mission was only 18 months. It was just a preparatory phase for the real challenges of life.
I'm trying to learn to love this phase of my life. I'm learning to love the feeling of always being stretched and changed and taught, even when it's painful. This is where so much of my real growth has happened. And I'm excited to see how I continue to learn and change. So I'll blog about it :)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Beks