BYU-Then and Now.

I started my BYU adventure five years ago. I could not ask for a better place to spend the past five years of my life. Everybody goes where they're supposed to go, but I sure am glad I had the honor of attending and graduating from this university! I have made the best friends and best memories. I remember when my parents first dropped me off  at the dorms my freshman year. I had the best years ahead of me and I didn't even know it!

I have grown so much through college. One of the most important things I've learned in college is that you really can accomplish so much more if you enjoy the road you're on. I know, cliche. But you know what, some people never learn that. Some people go through life always seeing the negative. One of my favorite quotes is, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." That is one lesson I'll never forget. I've had five solid years to learn that life throws curve balls, whether that's a hard test, obnoxious professor, stressful job, or other challenges. There will be plenty more to come in the future, and I'm glad I learned that hard work and a good attitude are simple but incredibly important things to value in life.

I could go on and on about the things I've learned, the people I've met, the experiences I've had. But I'll save that for my journal. For right now, I am content with saying that BYU has been one of the best things I've ever done.

My heroes.

Love him so much

So grateful to have worked with Al Merkley

I loved graduating with my best friend!

Lendrum and I are excited to begin our new adventure in Charleston, South Carolina next month! Wow. What a huge move for me! I am definitely thrilled to be moving on in life, but I will really miss Utah, and perhaps more importantly, the close proximity to my family in California. Lendrum is enrolled in a graduate certification program at MUSC, which will hopefully give him a good chance to get into medical school next year. His program starts May 28th, so we will be moving in the next month. Definitely an exciting time for us right now!

We've had a lot of hard decisions to make lately. Which is why it was nice to spend a week where my hardest decision was "What should I eat for dinner tonight?" or "Should I get seconds on ice cream?" I took advantage of my spring break this year by going on a little cruise with my teacher friend Katie! Now, you're probably thinking we went to some crazy awesome place. We didn't. We went to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. But you know what, it was sure fun and it sure was better than staying home and doing nothing while Lendrum went to school and studied. We both had never been on a cruise and found a sweet deal on this cruise...so we went! I have to say, I missed Lendrum A WHOLE LOT. But it really was a nice vacation. And sometimes you just have to get the heck out of Provo!

Catalina Island was our first stop. We had a blast riding bikes around the island and along the water. The weather was perfect and sunny. Then we went back to the ship for some lunch and then went back out for parasailing! What fun! Beautiful views and just so peaceful up there above the water.

Ocean views all cruise long

Avalon Bay

Parasailing! What up!

Beautiful day at Catalina

Ensenada was next. What a city! If you haven't been, it's just a dirty town on the water in Baja California. We did a little shopping and had fun just walking around the shops and working on our assertiveness as we turned down hopeful sellers. One guy spent like 10 minutes trying to sell us a plant. So random. Katie and I were both wearing headbands and sunglasses, so one guy told us there were "hippie styles inside!"

Almost free! Today only!

The last day was a "fun day at sea." Or, "cloudy and cold day at sea." We lathered on the sunscreen, put on our swimsuits, and brought our towels and books outside only to realize that it was windy and cold. It stayed like that the whole day, unfortunately.

Comedy night

The next morning after we got off the ship, we obviously went to DISNEYLAND. I love Disneyland so much, and sadly, Lendrum does not share the same enthusiasm. Don't get me wrong, he likes it, just not quite to the same degree as I do. I think this trip has satisfied my Disneyland craving...at least for a while. The best part was meeting up with some of my favorite teachers from work! The worst part was Indiana Jones was closed.

So much fun to see these two!

The drive back to Utah took us TWELVE hours, thanks to the cattle rancher protesters and lots of road work. But what a wonderful trip! It was definitely nice to relax and have fun for a week. I am happy to be back with my sweet husband though. Oh, and we graduate from college in a week and a half!