lessons learned

how sweet it is to have friends like these.

this summer has taught me a lot.
a lot about how to enjoy my own company,
to use time wisely
(and how not to),
how to keep loving new people and not ever closing my heart,
how to work hard and endure,
how to find joy in places you thought you'd hate (food 2 go anyone?)
but most importantly,
a lot about how beautiful & sacred the temple is.
i appreciate it now more than i ever have in my life,
and it has brought me so much peace and comfort.
it has truly become my most important sanctuary.

i would never have guessed where this summer would have taken me,
but i've grown a lot and have enjoyed it so much.

next up, weihai in 11 days!!

55

this summer hasn't been what i planned by any means.
i'm out of this apartment in about three weeks,
and i gotta tell ya,
i'm kind of sad.
i've come to love these roommates so much
& i don't want to say goodbye and miss all the giggling and embarrassing stories.
that really is a testament to the fact that you can learn to love wherever you're at.
because i did not want to be in provo for another four months
and i did not want to be working at food 2 go for those four months.
but i really do love where i'm at and that's completely due to my lovely aubrey and julia.
we laugh a lot and we take a lot of embarrassing pictures and videos and we watch a lot of episodes of friends,
and it's real real good.

sitting on the curb eating otter pops and talking about what we've learned from dysfunctional relationships...
yeah, i'm gonna miss this.

flying squirrels

the guy who is a break the fast co-chair with me keeps two flying squirrels in the hood of his sweatshirt at all times.
ask me if i held one today.
yes,
i did.
welcome to my ward, where this is not at all unusual.

freshman year, come back please?