2010

I can't believe it's 2010 already. I know I'm only 22 (almost), but I feel like my life has just been flying by! I feel like it was just a little while ago I graduated from high school, packed up the car, and moved to Utah. I settled in the basement apartment (I have since graduated to the upstairs apartment), and I have had 3 different jobs in the past 3.5 years. So far, the present job has been my favorite. Better pay, better people, better hours. What more can I ask for? I am so grateful for everything in my life, and here are just a few of those things:

- Cell phones. I think I call home at least once every day, and I'm also grateful that mom and dad don't screen my phone calls and ignore me. They answer 90% of the time, and if they don't answer it's always because are either doing service or yard work. Seriously. I only wish mom knew how to text - I would probably chat with her ALL DAY. And I'm sure she's grateful she does NOT know how to text.

- Having family close by. I visit Emma's house a lot and I love playing with Chris and Marian. I wish all of my nieces and nephews lived closer, but I'm grateful to have two that live 20 minutes away!

- A job. I am so grateful to have a job. I am grateful to get a paycheck. I am grateful that I can spend my own money. I am not rich, but I am certainly not in need of anything. I am so blessed.

- Friends. I have some wonderful girlfriends that keep me sane. After the break up with Kyle, I seriously had absolutely no girlfriends. I'm sure Emma got a little tired of me being at her house every single day for about a month or so. Or at least I'm sure least John did, perhaps :) These girls have taken me under their wing and I can't ask for better ladies and examples. They are positive and just fun to be around! I forget about my worries and enjoy every minute with them.

- My roommate. Megan and I can be crazy together. We host dinner parties, we sing, we dance, we go out, we take trips, we listen to sappy songs, we take a bajillion pictures, and we always have a good time, no matter what. She has an adventerous spirit, so we're a great pair!

- Church. I love being in Provo on Sundays. It's like a ghost town, because everyone is in church! I love meeting on the BYU campus. I have the best bishopric and you can just feel the love they have for everyone.

- Living in Provo. Everything is so close by! I can do pretty much everything here. I can be anywhere in 5 minutes - shopping, library, church, restaurants, river trails, mountains, malls, gas stations, work, friends' houses, the temple, movie theaters, parks (lots of them!), and so much more!

- Facebook. I love facebook. My addiction has gotten worse over time. I check it, like, 5 times a day. Sick, I know. But I love staying connected and perhaps I'm just nosey, but I like to know what people are up to and what they are doing with their lives. At least I don't have Farmville...just a happy fish aquarium. All I have to do is feed and clean their virtual tank! Just a few seconds of my time, and my fish are happily swimming around their clean tank with full bellies. And now that I wrote this, I think I will go check on them...again.

- Recipes. I can't just whip something up together. I love recipes. They have been tried and tested, and obviously they must taste good if they made it in to a cookbook. Some people can experiment and create something amazing. For me, I will stick to the stuff I know will be good.

- Music. I love music. I love all kinds of music. I have an iPOD (another thing I am grateful for), but I need -well, WANT - a new one. The one I have holds 500 songs. I would like one that holds 10,000 or so. Here's a nice classic one that holds 40,000 songs!

- Family. I love my family. I wish we could all still live together. Or be like the Steeds in The Work and the Glory series and be neighbors and visit each other every day. I can't wait to see everyone again.

- The beach and ocean. I don't live by any beaches or oceans now, but in New Hampshire we lived about 25 minutes away. I loved lazy beach days. I loved swimming in the water (even though we had to wait until we were numb!) I loved watching Goldenrod make fresh saltwater taffy kisses in their big glass window. Mmmm. I miss New England and the beach, but I'll be back!

- Life. I am grateful for life! Just to be alive each day and have all sorts of adventures and experiences!

These are just a few things that I am grateful for. More to come!