I had an amazing first year at BYU! I am so happy that I chose to go to that school rather than staying in California. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE California, but my experiences at BYU were so special and unlike anything that I would have been able to have at another University. It is so amazing to be surrounded by thousands of people my age that have the same values and share the same beliefs as me. Some of my favorite unique things about BYU are: that the Professors incorporate gospel principles into our everyday lessons and truly teach with the Spirit, whether the subject is Human Development, American Heritage, or Statistics; that each BYU sporting event is begun with a prayer; that all my neighbors are in my ward so we all know eachother and have tons of fun all the time.
It was a great first year of college and besides providing me with a greater education, my freshman year introduced me to some amazing people and my best friends. I am anxious to get back to school in just over a month now and to have many more adventures! Here's what I have been up to while I've been home for the summer:
Finals started April 17 and I was done with them on the 21st so that early on April 22nd I could pack up my car and drive home for the Summer. It wasn't just me in my car though, Scott came with me for the roadtrip and stayed with me in Palmdale for almost a week! :) We had a verrrry packed car, but it was so much fun! We left about 6 am so that we could make some fun stops on the way and make it into Palmdale at a decent time still.
While Scott was in California we made the most of our time together and went on many adventures. We drove to Hollywood to see the famous sign on the Hollywood Hills as well as to walk on the stars, we enjoyed a day at the beach and a night on 3rd street Promenade, we spent time with my family [which often includes video games], fed the ducks at Apollo Park, and watched the sunset at the Poppy Reserve. It was so great to have him in my hometown and show him where I'm from and the beauty of Southern California!
Scott flew back home to Virginia on April 28th, and then I started working as a receptionist at Frazier Masonry Corporation. My mom works there, so I got hooked up with a great job right away. I was very blessed, since I know so many of my friends had difficulty looking for jobs when they went home from school. Another great part about my job is that they allowed me to take several weeks off for various vacations. The first of these vacations was two weeks after I started, when I flew to Virginia to spend a week with Scott and his family!
I was so excited to see Scott, to spend more time with his family, and to see where he grew up since he had already been to my hometown! That was an amazing week!! Virginia is absolutely gorgeous, and there are random forests and woods everywhere instead of tumbleweeds and Joshua Trees like I am used to. We had some excellent adventures as we took a walk through some trails in the woods, visited the Great Falls of the Potomac River, spent a day in Washington DC, had a picnic at Skyline Drive, and took a bus from DC to NYC to do some sight-seeing for a day. It was incredible!!
The end of the trip was very hard though. My memory card stopped working and after fumbling with it for a little bit all of my pictures from the trip accidentally got deleted :( Thankfully some of them were salvaged on Scott's computer and he sent me a CD with them after I left [it happened the morning I flew home]. So that was a bad start to a hard day. Later Scott drove me to the airport and we had to say our goodbyes. Well, we chose not to say goodbye, but instead "see ya later." We don't have any goodbyes. It was so hard to leave, because that was our last time to see each other before he left on his mission. It was a tough trip home, but the week was amazing!!
Scott reported to the MTC on May 27 and is currently serving in the Lubbock Texas Mission. I am so thankful for my job now as it keeps me busy and gives me something to do with my time. I am also so thankful for letters from him! I love checking the mail and getting a letter from him! It is so amazing to hear of the experiences he is having and the people he is teaching. It is incredible to watch him grow and serve, and I am grateful to be able to hear from him and encourage him in all his hard work! Its going to be a long 2 years [year and change now!], but it is DEFINITELY going to be worth it! :)
*Updated on 8-2-09 with larger collages
