REFLECTION

As the year starts drawing to a close, I seem to always get more reflective and thankful about life. The serenity of a snow laden landscape, the sun setting behind the rolling hills of the Palouse on a long drive home, and the calmness of the music playing softly through my car's stereo speakers all come together in such a perfect way, indescribable with words. It makes me all sorts of nostalgic.

I was remembering my life for this past year and what a crazy roller coaster it's been. It's funny to me, that as you go through life you often forget what life was like a month ago. A year ago. Three years ago. Who were you then? What were you doing? Who was important? Where did you live?

And holy buckets you guys, I have come so far. When I started this blog* I was a freshman in college. I was just a little baby, embarking on the adventure of my life with no idea of the obstacles I would face or the path I would choose. I was wide eyed and innocent, not even eighteen years old. Now here I am, twenty-three and graduated with a full time teaching position.

Sometimes I wish I could go back and do it all over. But then I think about all the papers I had to write and projects I completed, paperwork I filled out, and I'm glad I'm on the other side of all that. We tend to glorify the past, only remembering the good parts and forgetting the painful ones. College was such a fun time in my life, for the most part. But there was a lot of crap I went through too, and college hurt a lot. It forced me to grow, it helped shape my journey.

College was full of life lessons to learn. It was full of relationships, with boys and girls who were older and younger than me. I had to navigate situations I'd never been through before. I had to learn who to trust and when to let go. My time at the university taught me so much more than just academics, it taught me life. And for that, I am thankful.

There is a lot in my life, actually, that I am thankful for this year. Because it's November, a lot of my friends and family are posting everyday the different things that make them grateful. I haven't been doing that, and I'm not sure why. But here are some things that I'm thankful for everyday:

My family. Without their support I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today. I know that we don't always see eye to eye on everything, but I do know that they will love me no matter what.

My friends. There are people on this planet who aren't related to me and yet will still always be around. That is comforting beyond words, especially for a quiet little introvert like me.

My boyfriend. That boy does not know how special he is to me on so many levels.

My pup. I love that little Lottie dog more than I know how to express. She's just the cutest.

My job. This is the toughest thing I've ever gone through and some days I really feel like walking away but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. At least for the moment. And plus, my coworkers and students are generally pretty awesome. This school is a great environment to be in everyday.

The weekends. I love those precious days in between work weeks. Especially when I get to share them with Nathan. It just doesn't feel like the weekend when we're not together.

My life. This adventure that I'm on is beautiful. Everyday I get to make new memories in this unique journey that God has blessed me with. I can't remember a time when everything was easy, but all the pieces fit together to make this beautiful picture. I don't get to see the whole thing just yet, but even the ugly parts of life are used to make the whole thing pretty darn rad.

Happy November, guys.

(ps here's a poem that i wrote a couple years ago. i just found it in my archives. it's a gem)

*i just realized that yesterday was the five year anniversary of my little blog! high five!