meanwhile, back in the real world ...

It's been awhile ... a long while since I've blogged. And that's sort of crazy considering what a year packed with amazing events I've just gone through. Savannah's graduation, Laney's return from her mission to Chile, both of them leaving for college, Spencer and Katie choosing to homeschool part of the year, Minsy's first year of kindergarten, Hyrum's choice to play the trumpet, any number of funny JoJo stories ... lots has happened. Herman has been begging me constantly to get back in the saddle and write again, but for whatever reason I just haven't been feeling the writing inspiration. Unfortunately, when you don't work your writing muscles they get a bit stale, and any time I thought about writing something I just couldn't imagine that it would turn out worthy to be read. But something happened today that seems as good a story as any to blog about, so here goes ...

This year in seminary we are studying the Old Testament, and this week we are finishing up Genesis. Today we studied about Jacob giving his final priesthood blessings to his children, and we talked about how sometimes the plans we have for our lives are not always the same as what God may have in store for us. I had everyone write down their goals for what they wanted to do in their futures, and as I was preparing I remembered that I wrote down my future goals when I was graduating from high school. After scrounging through my high school/college memory box I found this gem that I wrote in my sociology class during the final month before I graduated in 1990:

Long story short ... I was a bit pretentious at 18. :)

I realize that this might be a bit hard to read, so I'll give you the transcript:

In twenty-five years I expect to be teaching in Europe somewhere. I will live simply and will be environmentally aware, and I will have changed my lifestyle -- no matter how much it will inconvenience me. I also expect to be actively participating in the fight against political oppression all over the world.

In twenty-five years I will have accomplished the goals of reading "Les Miserables" in the original French, traveling over Europe on a bicycle, and meeting my French and Swedish penpals.

I want to have a small family by then -- no more than two kids. I'm not really interested in having a lot of friends, but I would like to be active in the community.

Crack. Me. Up. That is the funniest thing to read ever. Needless to say, my life has not quite followed this path.

It just so happens that right now, 2015, is exactly 25 years after I wrote these goals for myself. How'd I do?

• Teaching in Europe somewhere.  Teaching, yes. In Europe, no.
• Living simply. Depends on who you ask. According to what I meant when I wrote this, no.
• Changed my lifestyle. That's a definite yes, but I would have never guessed that I would have changed by joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints one year later.
• Actively fighting against political oppression. Bless my heart. I was such an idealist back then.
• Read "Les Miserables" in the original French. In the original French, no. But I did read the 1200 page novel in English for the honors thesis I wrote in college (my absolute favorite college accomplishment). 300 pages of awesome story with 900 pages of Victor Hugo blathering on about things that don't really have much to do with the main story. Still, I survived the drudgery ... barely.
• Bicycling all over Europe. Sadly, no. As much as I loved biking when I was younger, now it gives me anxiety just thinking about riding into traffic here around town. Europe would send me into apoplexy, I'm sure.
• Meeting my French and Swedish penpals. Did I even have French and Swedish penpals? They must have been super awesome to make it into my 25 year life plan.
• A small family with no more than two kids. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha.
• Active in the community. In some ways, yes. In other ways, not enough.

So .... I didn't exactly turn out how I pictured I would have turned out all those years ago. But my life has turned out sooooo much better than I could have ever imagined for myself. No regrets. I'm so glad that there have been angels placed throughout my life to help guide me to be where I need to be when I need to be there so that I can be on a path that is just right for me and for my family. In 1990 I still had absolutely no idea who I really was and what I really wanted to do with myself. Years of experience has helped me to see that I'm not really bent in the direction I was facing back then. I'm exactly where I need to be.

(I'm still feeling a bit rusty with the writing, but I'm back in the ring, and it'll improve, I'm sure).