Just because I know you'll read this

I went on a really good date tonight. And it made me really happy. I know how to tie dye now, and spot out of state license plates from a mile away. I have amazing pictures from this summer that I never intend on posting anywhere near facebook, and I have weekend plans pretty much all semester. Yup. That's how you spell content.

Is this really my life??

Sometimes I can't believe that my life is the way that it is. It seems just when I think that I know exactly what is going on, Heavenly Father sees fit to throw me a curve ball. I am choosing to see it as a good thing, but how do we ever really know what the right choice is? How do we know when we have to choose between two good things which one is right?

I never thought I would be making decisions like this, I always thought it would be one, clear cut choice. But in the end, it never really is.

Missionary Me

I have had a lot of opportunities to share my testimony lately. It has been good and really helpful for me. I am not sure what it is about being in Alaska but it either help or hurts me to come back in the summer. It seems that this summer I am learning and growing so much and I am really happy with the person I am becoming this summer. Lots of changes, lots of random life twists, but it is so good.

Andrew works with me downtown. He is a christian, from Virginia. He has no friends here because he moved up to mush sled dogs. (Who does that??) So he has been coming to singles ward activities with my friends and I. I think it will take forever for him to actually accept the discussions, but he did come to church with me and it was really neat. He will randomly call me up now and ask things like, 'What do ya'll think about tatoos?' or the other day he was telling a story and he said, 'It's hard to tell this story without cussing.' I asked him why he wasn't cussing and he said, 'Because you don't.' I am greatful at how much that has helped me to realize how much people look at EVERYTHING we do. I am also grateful that I am at a point in my life where I don't even have to think about being careful any more.

I am constantly amazed at how the lord puts opportunities in front of us. I have so much to love about where I am in life right now. So many open doors.

For the first time in such a long time I know I'll be okay

It has been a while. I am not sure if that means I am so busy I don't have time to write or if I just don't have anything to write about, but it has been a long time none the less and their are some cool things that I have wanted to write about.

First and foremost is my half marathon. I set the goal in January to run this half marathon in June. I have been running and getting pumped about it, but I am not going to lie, when I clicked the submit button on my entry fee, I gulped and wondered what the heck I had just done. I was really nervous about it. That week I didn't have a ton of time to run. I went on an 8 mile run the tuesday before, but then I was afraid to run too hard and kill myself before the big race so I did some long speed walks, but nothing. My dad decided he was going to run with me which looking back must have been Heavenly Father looking out for me because I really couldn't have done it with out my dad.

We started out the race a little slow cuz we were in the middle of the pack. I was hyper and nervous so I was bouncing around as we put in the first couple of miles. Dad kept telling me to stop using my energy and so I did. We were hitting 10 minute miles every mile for the second through about 8th mile and I was feeling really good, but then we hit this huge hill. It wasn't just a big hill, it was almost a mile and a half long and getting to the hill I really didn't think I could do it. I was tired, I knew we still had 5 miles to go, and I had never run father than 8 miles before. As we started going up the hill I could feel myself start to slow down, but my dad simply looked back at me and said, 'Take my hand.' I grabbed his hand and he kept me on pace as I got up the hill. We got to the top and I felt so good that I hadn't stopped, but then I remembered at still had 5 miles left. Right at the top were two of my dear friends Molly and Benji. Then had been waiting there at the top for me and all I hear when I got up to the top was 'Jody Jody Jo! So hot! Keep goin girl!' It was so great to hear that, so I found a little bit of energy.

From the hill I knew the trail back to the finish line which helped me a lot to not get too discouraged, but there came a second time where I felt like I just couldn't do it, but this time, my dad was a little ahead of me, and so I called out to him, and he reached back and grabbed my hand and helped me up the hill. The last part of the race was a steep up hill and then a long straight of way to the finish line. As we approached the hill, my dad started talking me through what we were going to do and he said that he would take my hand and that we would cross the finish line together. He then proceeded to help me push through the hurt and get to the finish line.

Now this might sound silly, but I feel like this experience has taught me a lot about how our father in heaven works with us sometimes. Sometimes, without us even asking, he will grab our hand and pull us through the hard times. Then there are other times when we know that he is there and we need to tell him that we need his help, and that is when he will reach back and pull us along the rough patches. And then of course at the very end, after all we can do, he will make sure we cross the finish line.

Next half is next month :)