Did you miss me?

It's been slightly over a year since the last time I posted on my blog. I have a love-hate relationship with technology so I try to limit my time on the computer as much as possible. But, I've felt inspired to write. Since my hand gets sore from writing with a pen and paper after a while, I resorted to the ol' blog. (Seriously, kids these days). I'm not quite sure what I'm about to say right now so I apologize for any unintentionally offensive, politically incorrect or that-makes-absolutely-no-sense speeches you may read. Don't say I didn't warn you...

This past year has been chock-full of everything and nothing at the same time. Has my physical location changed? No.(It's not as sad as it sounds). Have I changed? I think so. Don't get me wrong. I'm a confident and self-assured woman and I feel like I've known who I am for many years now. But, life is about learning, growing, progressing. Change is good when it pushes you toward something greater than your current state.

My state a year ago: Ambitious. Motivated. Hopeful. 
I was ready to be somebody and go places. Besides a few internal moral battles, I was as good as out the door. Then came the interviews, prospective jobs and meeting new people. I thought I was on the verge of finally fulfilling the potential I thought I had. What happened next? Nothing. Interviews stopped. Jobs fell through. People disappointed. My frustration was the motivator for a time of slacking. I felt like my monotonous mornings of waking up to the same job would never end. My nature isn't to wallow in self pity, but I definitely had many moments of self-reflection. That's when it hit me. In the past several months, when had I sincerely tried to reach beyond myself? When was the last time I put someone else's needs in front of my own? The pure fact that I couldn't pinpoint a singular event was eye-opening. It was then I was called as Relief Society President....yikes.

My current state: Ambitious. Motivated. Hopeful. And I hope, a tad more selfless. 
Since being called in November, my world took on a whole new meaning. I've had the privilege of delving into the lives of so many wonderful women, who have fought through illness, personal heartache and despair. They have experienced things I couldn't even imagine and still remain solid in their faith and life pursuits. They are bogged down by personal trials, yet still find the time to serve and care for others. They became my heroes. The duty and honor in serving these women has made me realize the bigger picture. It's okay to pursue your dreams. In fact, you should. It's okay to get your own life in order and plan for the future. The point is, keep your eyes open in the meantime. It's not always about you (me). It's about bringing other people along for the ride. I truly believe when you work hard, live hard, and especially serve hard, your life will be pleasantly surprising. When you've done all you can, life falls into place. Being happy is a choice. And there's no way to be truly happy without loving those around you.

Believe me, I'm still figuring all this out. But, life is good. I'm currently dating an amazing man (affectionately known as Flynn Rider) who love me for me. He's respectful, kind, thoughtful, faithful, patient (which is key to handling someone like me), and I might say, quite handsome. A prospective job, right up my alley, is in the works, which helps me push through another day of my...ahem...current job. Hey, at least I have a job, right?  I've decided to take another step out of my comfort zone. Push myself even more. I guess we'll see what happens. And the journey continues...

Here we go...

I've never really immersed myself in blogging/ following blogs like many people I know, but I've felt the urge lately to put a few of my somewhat mindboggling and entertaining thoughts to paper (metaphorically speaking.)

I just graduated from BYU in broadcast journalism where I did sports reporting and anchoring for KBYU. Amazing! Unfortunately, I had to get a job quickly doing something completely unrelated to my major unless I wanted to move in with my parents. Not so amazing. Therefore, I'm still here in Utah County living out the post-grad single life. Again, not so amazing. But, my ambitions are sky high. I have so many things I'm planning on doing; places I want to go, people I want to meet, dreams I want to fulfill....

What's my biggest dream? That's what I'm trying to figure out myself. Two of my biggest dreams don't really mesh well together. For one, I ache for Erin Andrews' job on ESPN, traveling around the country, talking sports, and hanging out with athletes. A large part of me longs to start my career in the sports broadcast field and live life on the road. Here's where my dreams conflict. Yes, I am a practicing Latter-day Saint, and as being such I have a strong desire to start my own family and raise them in the gospel, like we're taught as little Sunbeams to do.

You may be asking yourself why I can't do both. Well, from the experiences I've had already, people I've met and talked to and others lives I've watched, the two don't really coincide. If you are a full-time sports reporter, you're working 12 hours a day (or more) and traveling 275 days out of the year. Not much time for a family eh? Most of the reporters I've met and seen are single, or barely get to see their kids. Not really a family-oriented life. What to do.....

I feel destined for so much more than what I'm doing right now. My life was on a steep climb and it's somewhat plateaued. So, I've decided to continue forward. I'm going to continue job hunting, continue being social, and see where the heck life takes me.

Welcome to the journey.......