Briefly: 2013 (In Review)

Man, what a year! As some of you might remember, last year was a little more predictable for me because it didn't take me long to recognize why I felt prompted to stick around in Las Vegas after my mission. However, my purpose in sticking around in Vegas came to a quick close as Timmy, Skyler, and Levi were all on  missions serving the Lord by the end of 2012. While helping them prepare for their missions was one of the greatest and most gratifying experiences of my life, I decided in November of 2012 that I would be moving up to Utah at the beginning of the year.

Although I told everyone I was excited for the challenge, I must admit that I was scared half to death. Yes, my mission taught me how to be self-reliant and responsible, but...this would be the first ever that I would actually be out on my own--no companion following me everywhere, no mission president to give me advice, no money being automatically deposited onto my mission credit card at the beginning of the month, etc. Indeed, the year 2013 was going to be unpredictable and quite the journey! However, despite not having the mission companion, the mission president, or the money, I did have the confidence and testimony that I developed on my mission that everything works out as long as we are working hard and trusting in the Lord--even if it doesn't work out the way we want it to. 

Working McDonalds' Drive-Thru

The first three months of 2013 were spent living on the Berrys' couch in Orem, Utah. (The Berry family is a family that I got to know in Mississippi when my family lived there; they then moved to Orem around the time we moved back to Vegas, and we've stayed in contact throughout the years.) I was very grateful that they were willing to let me stay with them those three months while I figured everything out. As stated earlier, however, it didn't quite work out as expected. Originally, I was supposed to get a job at the chocolate factory with my BFF Chris Berry; however, we learned quickly that that would not work out. I remember sitting in the Berrys' living room my second day there and thinking, "Oh man. Maybe I can't do this?? Maybe this wasn't the right decision?" Long story short, I trusted that I made the right decision, and before I knew it, I was working at McDonalds and staying busy. Even though it wasn't the ideal job, I felt so blessed that I was able to find work so quickly.

My Car That Matt Sold Me

As stated in many of my blog posts throughout the years, my dream was always to graduate from BYU. Hence the reason I applied before my mission, while I was on my mission, after my mission, and one last time while living at the Berrys' house. All four times I was denied, and after the fourth rejection, it hit me that the Lord had different plans for me. I decided to accept those plans, and I enrolled at BYU-Idaho for the Spring 2013 semester. 

My brother Matt (who lives in Blackfoot, ID) sold me his car, and next thing I knew, I was moving from Orem, Utah, to Rexburg, ID. What I thought would be a tough transition actually ended up working out perfectly. I roomed with an old MTC buddy (Danny Hardisty), I had a car, and—best of all—I got a job immediately when I got to Rexburg as an early morning custodian. Like my McDonalds job, it wasn't the ideal job having to wake up at 3:30 AM to clean toilets and do other "dirty work", but it was work! And to this day, I am super grateful for the opportunity I have every morning to go work.

While it was a smooth transition, I must admit that I didn't enjoy my first semester at BYU-Idaho as much as I should have. Those of you who know me well, know that I believe that there is an "order of operations" when it comes to dating. I realized suddenly that being an RM made it a lot more tough to date because it seemed that every girl I tried dating automatically assumed I was dating them to marry them the next week or something crazy like that. Besides the dating woes, though, I enjoyed Rexburg—just not as much as I thought I would.

The seven week summer break was much needed. I spent the first three weeks in Indiana with my sister Kerstin and her family; I spent two more weeks with my brother Brent and his family in Washington. It was so awesome being able to spend time with my siblings and their kids; I was especially grateful for the hospitality and patience they had with me.

However, the break went by way too fast, and before I knew it, I was back at BYU-Idaho for the Fall 2013 semester. My classes were much more challenging, but overall, the semester was so much better than the first. Everyone was telling me that I needed to date more, and I always just laughed and agreed with them to avoid any arguments. In reality, I wasn't expecting to date too much because before going back to school, I came to the conclusion that all girls were the same and none of them would ever understand me. I came to the conclusion that I wasn't good enough at expressing myself and letting the girls know that I was trying to build a strong friendship before anything else. So the sad truth was that I was pretty set on not dating during the Fall semester.

Fall Semester Was Awesome

However, at the same time, I was praying that the Lord would prove me wrong and place some awesome girls in my path to show me that the world was still full of girls that weren't "like the others." Long story short, I met one of my friends the very first day of classes, and as I got to know her those first few weeks, I realized she wasn't "like the others." It was an answer to my prayers, and I ended up dating a lot more than I did during the Spring semester. My life was more balanced; it was three of the greatest months of my life because I was working hard, helping others, and having fun in the middle of all of it.

Even though 2013 was unpredictable and I had no idea what was in store for me, I must admit it was one of the best years yet. Despite all the hard times, I thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and challenges that came with 2013. Looking forward to what 2014 has in store for me!