What a Year...

Some years seem to take forever and drag on, making you wish you could just fast forward to the end. Other years fly by so fast that you are almost surprised when they are over. 2009 was one of those years for me. Except that it went by so much faster and was so much more eventful than any other year that I can recall. Looking back, I think that I have changed and grown more in this year than the several years before it combined. It has been a year of choices, opportunities, changes, firsts, and so many memories.

At the beginning of the year, life altering decisions were made that led me to a college, a ward, and an apartment that was the location and cause of the changes and opportunities to follow. Two days after my high school graduation, I drove away in my brother and sister-in-law's car to move away from home and on my own for the first time in my life. I remember the weeks leading up to my departure and the moment of driving away from my parents and my house. I kept waiting for the normal, typical reactions and feelings of a change this big to fill me...the anxiety, uncertainty, excitement, nervousness and other combination of feelings that someone in my situation should be feeling...but they never really came. Talking to a friend from home on the phone a couple days later, I told her that it still hadn't hit me yet but I was sure it would soon. 7 months later and it still hasn't 'hit me.'

I don't know how to explain it, how in the last 7 months I have had so many new experiences and changes. How I have adapted to a completely foreign and new environment and people, and there still has never been that moment of doubt, fear, homesickness, and overwhelmedness. I feel as if I have flown through this year and all the new experiences and I can hardly believe it is already over. It is when I stop and look back at the year when I can see all that has happened. It really has been quite a journey...

Highlights of 2009
(there were so many things I had to leave out, and it still so long)

April: Visited UVU for the first time and received strong feelings of confirmation that this was where I was supposed to go

May: performed in a community play along with my Dad...it was a great learning experience and all of the family got to come and watch the final show

May: graduated from High School with my family all there to support me

June: Lived with Brad and Jet for a month after moving away from home while also attending the singles ward that I'd be moving in to....learned so much from them and had a lot of fun. This picture was taken at the Kelly Clarkson concert at UVU

end of June: Moved in to the Monticello apartments....where I found a great ward, great friends, and so many great experiences. Also, it was my first time living on my own.

July: Skidmore family reunion in Colorado....

great times with the family...

...and so many adventures. Here, my brother and I are zip-lining.

Summer in Provo

I had awesome roommates that I had so many great times with...here we are at the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movie

Me and Kylie played on a coed intramural softball team

Skidmore cousin dinner

August: my brother Jeff returned from a two year mission for our church in New York City. He moved in to the same apartment complex and ward as me.

August: my brother Greg was married to Kristen...and I got another sister-in-law!

I got two new roommates in the fall(and got to keep one of the old ones!) We have had many exciting times.

October: I got to go home for a couple days and meet my brand new nephew Hyrum!

November: my parents and little brother came up to Provo for Thanksgiving

I played on a women's intramural soccer team and we won the championship!

December: I went home for Christmas break...

We acted out the nativity scene...

...and I got to spend time with Hyrum! and the rest of the family of course...

And now I get to look forward to the year of 2010 and wonder what new experiences it will hold. So much changes in just one year and I am excited to see what 2010 will bring...