Sinking in.

I should be researching the correlation between family leisure time and parent-child relationships. I should be defining terms, determining delimitations, and writing an introduction for the research and evaluation project that is going to eat me up this semester. But I'm not... because I can't focus and I'm not in the mood. Instead, I am pondering my life.

When I was a senior in high school, I remember feeling old and mature compared to the freshman students (even though it'd only been a short time since I was one myself!) When I came to college, I remember feeling much more sophisticated than any high school senior. And now? I feel incredibly more developed- emotionally, socially, intellectually, spiritually- than the college freshmen. Today, where I am right now, always seemed so far away.

When I was 11 or 12ish , I was intimidated by older girls at church. They seemed so cool. Drivers. Daters. Make-up wearers. And I thought to myself, "Seventeen will never come." Then high school came and I met more girls whose lives seemed interesting and exciting, girls who were months away from college. Football game goers. Socializers. Dorm-room livers. And I thought to myself, "College will never come." I was accepted to BYU, the only school I really wanted to go to. I moved far away and met girls who became my best friends. I saw a lot of people grow up really quickly. Temple worshippers. Research assistants. Wives. And I thought to myself, "Life came too fast."

For so long, all I wanted was what came next. It's sinking in that my future is here and I better stop long enough to enjoy it. Really enjoy it.

Ps. Lindsey, live your life. Love today. College will come and go before you know it!

Pps. Can the end really be this close?

I've got all I need.

This week has been really stressful and 17 credit hours is starting to catch up to me. I think I may be getting sick, and I'm always tired! Yesterday I was in a bit of a sour mood so JD spoiled the surprise he was saving for this weekend... we are going to a BRAD PAISLEY concert tomorrow night! He's been keeping it a secret for over a month and we are going with a bunch of couples :) So now I have something to get me through the rest of the week :) He is such a precious boy and I love him so much. He's better than any husband I ever dreamed up in my head. Everyday I am surprised by how much more in love with him I am than I ever was before. I am grateful for all he does for me and our itsy bitsy family!

Here's some cute pictures from the Utah State Fair last weekend:

Despite all I have on my to-do list, I'm happy as can be. My husband is currently making pancakes.. yum. We get to spend the next few hours together because we both have a break on Thursdays (I love Thursday mornings!) And "Alright" by Darius Rucker is playing in the background. (He's going to be a guest at the concert tomorrow! Look him up.)

"When I lay down at night I thank the Lord above
for giving me everything I ever could dream of
Cause I've got a roof over my head, the woman I love laying in my bed
And it's alright, alright, alright, alright
I've got shoes under my feet, Forever in her eyes staring back at me
And it's alright, alright, alright. And I've got all I need, yeah,
I've got all I need"

Cute girls.

JD planned a big camping trip to Burraston Ponds, mostly because he wanted to go off this rope swing. He invited tons and tons of his friends and a bunch came for the campfire at night... but only Jeff stayed the night and even he left in the morning. My cute friends were there all night and were the only ones there to go off the swing in the morning! JD was sad, but I'm glad I have such great friends!

Brother.

My little brother is bigger than me. (He is 6'2" to be exact!) My little brother is a college student.

JD and I got to play with my parents two weekends in a row while they were in town to take him to school. I really love them. :)

TR Phase-out.

I am super bummed today because I discovered the Therapeutic Recreation major at BYU is being phased out. By spring 2012, the program won't exist because of "administrative decisions and parameters related to them." I will still be able to graduate in TR, but I am so disappointed that future students won't have the option to pursue this degree. The professors I have are remarkable. They have inspired me to want to be a good therapist, teacher, and facilitator; but more importantly, I have left their classes a better person than when I first enrolled. I'm not sure why this decision was made. I'm sad.

First day.

Dear littlest siblings,

Today was your first day of school. I was thinking of you. I hope the year's not too hard and you make plenty of friends who make your life richer and more full. I hope you are kind to your classmates and you look for opportunities to share the Gospel. I hope you work hard and you try your best. I hope you fill your minds with fascinating things that make you really exercise your thinking powers. I hope you don't think of school as boring. I hope you want to learn and read and explore. I hope you don't give up when things are hard. I hope you push yourself. I hope you always do your very best work. I hope you stand out in your classrooms. I hope you lift others up. I hope you nourish friendships. I hope your learning continues when you leave class and that you actively explore the world. I hope you cultivate curiosity wherever you go. I hope can look back on these years and remember them with fondness. You are my favorite 4th, 7th, and 10th graders around :) Love you.

Picture taken on my family's weekend vacation to Wimberly, Texas this summer.

"You can take the boy out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the boy."

Said so well by my lovely mother on the phone today.

JD is homesick and tired and ready to be done. He is entirely unmotivated to continue knocking the doors of classless, rude, obnoxious homeowners. He does not want to deal with folks with poor credit, poor manners, or so-called poor bank accounts (Really, people? I feel like the safety of your home and family is probably worth 50 bucks. Even we, as college students, could afford 50 dollars a month if we wanted. There's the difference. You can afford it. You just don't want it. Be clear.) I could go on and on with the list of complaints JD comes home with at the end of every day. But, clearly, it's an unpleasant topic.

Instead, let's talk about the mountains. Let's talk about camping. Let's talk about the cool breeze and the smell of burning wood mixed with savory meat and veggies on the campfire. Let's talk about the tent that's been patiently waiting in a tub in the back corner of a dark storage unit for 4 months to get out and see the sunlight. Let's talk about the sunset and the quiet feeling of contentment that's waiting in a little grove of trees to meet up with us come a few weeks from today. Let's talk about JD's home. The home that has started calling me back, too.